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American Diabetes Association Convenes 3rd Annual Disparities Conference

Main Category: Diabetes

Article Date: 18 Nov 2009

The American Diabetes Association, the nation's leading voluntary health organization in the fight against diabetes, is bringing together community leaders from around the country for a two-day meeting to discuss major challenges, and to share 'promising practices' to address health disparities faced by minority populations when it comes to the prevention, detection, and management of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The meeting will take place November 18-19 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, in Arlington, VA.

"When it comes to the impact of diabetes and obesity in minority populations, the statistics are daunting," said Sue McLauglin, BS, RD, CDE, CPT, President, Health Care & Education, American Diabetes Association. "The challenges are great, but the urgency to stop diabetes and obesity is even greater. We are convening this forum to exchange best practices and to foster collaboration in our attempt to identify solutions and actions that will eliminate disparities in health care at the community level."

The American Diabetes Association Disparities Partnership Forum will include an opening keynote address from Garth Graham, MD, MPH, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Minority Health, promising practice presentations, idea exchanges, and a closing keynote address from Dr. Kyu Rhee, Chief Public Health Officer, Health Resources and Services Administration.

Sharing of 'promising practices' will include abstracts and presentations on the following:

"The Healthy Schools Partnership"
Katie Brown, Ed.D., RD, LD
National Nutrition Education Director, American Dietetic Association Foundation

The Healthy Schools Partnership (HSP) goals are to motivate students to attain and maintain a healthy body weight, improve students' nutrition knowledge and attitude about healthy foods and physical activity, improve students' consumption of nutrient-dense foods at school and away from school, and create a culture of wellness in schools through policy and environment change.

"Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP)"
Joseph Vassalotti, MD
Chief Medical Officer, National Kidney Foundation

The goals of the Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) are to identify individuals with -- and at risk for -- kidney disease in the community to improve awareness of kidney disease risk factors, and ultimately improve outcomes.

"Medicare Diabetes Screening Project"
Jay Hedlund
National Director, Medicare Diabetes Screening Project/Novo Nordisk

The Medicare Diabetes Screening Project seeks to increase usage of Medicare's benefits for diabetes screening among Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older by increasing awareness of these benefits among target populations, and motivating and enabling target population members to take appropriate actions.

"REACH Charleston and Georgetown Diabetes Coalition: Decreasing Amputation in African American Males"
Carolyn M. Jenkins, DrPH, RD, LD, APRN-BC-ADM
Professor, Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing

The Charleston and Georgetown Diabetes Coalition is a community-based coalition focused on reducing disparities for African Americans with diabetes. During the initial planning year (1999), amputations in African Americans were identified as a major community concern. After examining the epidemiological data showing high rates of amputations in African American men, the REACH project seeks to decrease amputations in this group by 5 percent each year.

"On the Road - Diabetes and Lifestyle Program"
Richard Jackson, MD
Director of Health Affairs, Joslin Diabetes Center

The two overarching goals of the On the Road (OTR) Program are to assess: 1) Awareness of basic diabetes tests to promote self-management; and 2) Engagement or re-engagement with the healthcare system.

"The Patient Safety & Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative (PSPC) with a focus on the Diabetes and Obesity Teams"
Dennis Wagner, MPA
Deputy Director, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

The primary goal of the HRSA Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative (PSPC) is to integrate the healthcare delivery system across multiple providers, producing improvements in health outcomes and patient safety using a patient-centered, primary health home model.

Source
American Diabetes Association

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