Community & Business Partners

More than 13 percent of all African-Americans have diabetes, and one-third of them don’t even know it. Their incidence of diabetes is 70 percent higher than among white Americans. Racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive a lower quality of health care than non-minorities, according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

Diabetes Self Management Education (DSME) allows patients to control their disease by working with their health care provider. Medicare beneficiaries learn that it is crucial to control levels of blood glucose, blood pressure and blood lipids through preventive care.

GMCF’s education program is designed to reduce disparities and adverse outcomes in minority, underserved, Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes. The Georgia QIO will work with practice sites and other organizations in targeted northern and central Georgia counties to improve diabetes measures. GMCF will train nurses, Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs), dietitians, and Community Health Workers (CHWs).

These free classes will be offered to eligible African-American and Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries in the following counties: Bibb, Dougherty, Muscogee, Clayton, Fulton, Richmond, Cobb, Gwinnett, Spalding, DeKalb, Henry and Troup.

An effective, comprehensive DSME program could help Georgia reduce or eliminate disparities in diabetes, particularly in the underserved Medicare population.

Click here to become a partner online, or call 888-313-WELL (9355) for details.