The Asheville Project began in 1997 as an effort by the City of Asheville, North Carolina, a self-insured employer, to provide education and personal oversight for employees with chronic health problems such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and high cholesterol.

Through the Asheville Project, employees with these conditions were provided with intensive education through the Mission-St. Joseph's Diabetes and Health Education Center. Patients were then teamed with community pharmacists who made sure they were using their medications correctly.

The project led pharmacists to develop thriving patient care services in their community pharmacies. Employees, retirees, and dependents with diabetes soon began experiencing improved A1C levels, lower total health care costs, fewer sick days, and increased satisfaction with their pharmacist's services.

Today, the Asheville Project has inspired a new health care model for individuals with chronic conditions. Unlike other experiments, the Asheville model is payer-driven and patient-centered. Employers are adopting this approach as an additional health care benefit to empower their employees to control their chronic diseases, reduce their health risks, and ultimately lower their health care costs.

The APhA Foundation is spearheading a nationwide effort to demonstrate how the Asheville model can be adapted and implemented in diverse, geographic regions throughout the country, with similar results and cost-savings through the Diabetes Ten City Challenge and HealthMapRx.