Improving Diabetes Care and Outcomes on the South Side of Chicago

http://alliancefordiabetes.org/

"Working to Improve Diabetes Care" - Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes
The Merck Company Foundation supports an initiative working with community-based organizations across the United States to help improve the quality of care for people with diabetes, particularly in underserved communities.

Chicago's South Side African-American neighborhoods have higher prevalence rates of diabetes (12%) compared to predominantly White (4%) and Mexican (6%) neighborhoods, as well as the city of Chicago overall (7%). About 28,000 African-Americans 18 years and older residing on the South Side of Chicago have diabetes and form the target population for this initiative. High rates of diabetes and complications from the disease are due in large part to socioeconomic challenges that make access to care and self-management difficult.

Our project aims to reduce diabetes disparities in Chicago's South Side taking into account the region's marketplace, socioeconomic challenges, and history of racial mistrust. We propose to test the effectiveness of a collaborative model program implanted in six clinics in the South Side catchment area. The collaboration will involve the community, clinics and academia.

This multi-factorial intervention incorporates culturally tailored patient activation, cultural competency and communication training for clinicians, clinic redesign with patient advocates, nurse care management, and enhanced community partnerships and resources. The intervention will also increase the number of persons with diabetes from underserved populations who access comprehensive care in safety net health centers through patient advocates and partnerships with community-based organizations.

Our project will provide important information for other regions seeking to reduce racial / ethnic disparities in diabetes care and outcomes. Key elements include the integration of clinics and the community, recognition of the socioeconomic challenges of the South Side of Chicago as well as the formidable strengths in the community, examination of the economic ramifications of the intervention, and analysis of the implementation process.


About The Merck Company Foundation
The Merck Company Foundation is a U.S.-based, private charitable foundation. Established in 1957 by healthcare leader Merck, the Foundation is funded entirely by the company and is Merck's chief source
of funding support to qualified non-profit, charitable organizations. Since its inception, The Merck Company Foundation has contributed more than $600 million to support important initiatives that address societal needs and are consistent with Merck's overall mission to help the world be well. For more information, visit http://www.merckcompanyfoundation.org

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