RTI International to Report Alliance Program Evaluation Results at IHA’s Poster Session
Initial results from RTI International’s evaluation of Alliance programs indicate three emerging themes from across the sites that make up the Merck Foundation-funded Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes. The themes present across the sites are: 1) Increasing patient education and empowerment, 2) Enhancing patient and provider communication, and 3) Providing resources and support that extend beyond the clinic and support self-management. Analyses show that patients who participated in more than half of the program offerings improved their health.
Find out more about the themes and key learnings from RTI’s mid-term process evaluation of the Alliance’s programs here.
Dallas Program to be Featured at IHA’s Health Literacy Conference, May 8-10
The Alliance’s Dallas program, the Diabetes Equity Project (DEP), aims to reduce disparities in diabetes care and outcomes in the largely Hispanic, medically underserved communities surrounding Baylor Health Care System hospitals. Funded by a grant from the Merck Foundation, the program centers on Community Health Workers (CHWs) that work to extend the patient-provider relationship and increase access to health services and education. Initial program results show that DEP patients were significantly more confident in their capabilities to manage and control their diabetes after completing the program. The high rates of success indicate that using CHWs to coordinate care and provide diabetes education to underserved populations could be an effective model in other cities with similar populations.
Read the IHA abstract submission here for more information on the use of CHWs to improve health outcomes in underserved populations.
NBCSL (The Legislator) Article
Noreen Clark, Ph.D., discusses Data, Diabetes, and Disparities: Two Local Programs Leverage Technology in Innovative Ways to Reduce Healthcare Disparities in this month's The Legislator
from the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL). Dr. Clark
highlights the innovative programs in Camden and Dallas to leverage
health information technology in addressing diabetes disparities.
Policy Considerations Report Now Available
A new Alliance report poses a series of policy considerations for reducing disparities in diabetes in the new era of Health Reform. These considerations derive from the on-the-ground experiences of the five Alliance sites, along with deliberations among academic, government, consumer and provider experts convened at a recent national summit.
A new Alliance report, Policy Considerations That Make the Link: Connecting Community Experience and National Policy to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes, poses a series of policy considerations for reducing disparities in diabetes in the new era of Health Reform. These considerations derive from the on-the-ground experiences of the five Alliance sites, along with deliberations among academic, government, consumer and provider experts convened at a recent national summit.
The considerations pose a series of questions surrounding the identified need to realign financial incentives affecting health systems, providers and patients as a mechanism for reducing disparities in diabetes.
