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Utah Diabetes Prevention and Control Program (DPCP) www.health.utah.gov/diabetes NEWS and NOTES Fourteen Community-based Projects Funded! This is an exciting time for the Utah Diabetes Prevention and Control Program (DPCP)! Every few years, we have the privilege of asking community partners to submit proposals in the hopes of receiving funds from our program to implement community projects. These Funds are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with the intent of improving the health of persons with diabetes in local communities. Recently, we completed the process of receiving and reviewing 24 of these community-based proposals. We are thrilled to be able to announce that we will be able to fund 14 community-based projects for the next fiscal year! Some of these projects will be ongoing beyond the fiscal year. All of the proposals offered something unique and it was obvious that all applicants were absolutely vested in improving the health of their communities. This made the review process, which was done by independent reviewers, very difficult. The number of funded projects is up significantly from previous years. This is a reflection of the high quality of the applications, and the growing need related to diabetes. All funded projects serve populations of high need. The funded projects broadly include populations in urban and rural settings, of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds, of older adults, and of low income. We are especially pleased to have a diverse representation of racial/ethnic groups including African American, Asian American, Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, and Pacific Islander. The funded organizations represent Local Health Departments, Community Health Centers, Native American Tribes, health delivery systems and clinics, non-profit community organizations, and academic institutions. Funded projects include efforts to improve diabetes self-management education (including A1C control, and physical activity among persons with diabetes and older adults), provider education, diabetes awareness, systems-based referral into education programs, coalition building and needs assessment, and data driven quality improvement. The DPCP is very much looking forward to working with these partners towards implementing these exciting projects. We are confident persons affected by diabetes will benefit from these efforts. Thank you to those who took the time and made the effort to apply for these funds. We are sincerely sorry we could not fund all who applied! It is important to remember that the DPCP is here to partner with community organizations across Utah, with or without a formal funding agreement . If you have ideas or needs related to improving the lives of those affected by diabetes in Utah, please contact us! We look forward to hearing from you and to working with you! Sincerely, Changing Demographics in Utah Diabetes-related disparities are becoming an increasingly important public health issue. People who are members of minority racial and ethnic groups or elderly have particularly high risks for developing diabetes and its complications. Members of groups (Hispanic/Latino, African American, American Indian, Pacific Islander and Asian American) generally have rates of diabetes one to five times that for non-Hispanic whites. Currently, 11.2% of the state's 2.7 million residents is Hispanic/Latino, up from 9.0% in 2000. Asian Americans are the second largest minority population, comprising 2.0% of residents. American Indians (1.3%), African Americans (1.0%) and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (0.8%) make up smaller proportions. The percentage of Utah residents who are members of minority population is expected to increase substantially. Thirty-five percent of the projected growth over the next 50 years will be due to in-migration. The statewide prevalence of diabetes is 4.1%. Among Utahns aged 65 or over, however, the prevalence is 17.2%.While the Utah population is young and has the lowest median age in the U.S (28.3 years), it also has the third highest life expectancy of all states (78.7 years). In 2000, an estimated 8.5% of the Utah population was aged 65 and over. This percentage is projected to increase to 10.9% by 2020. The changing demographics in Utah point to an increasing proportion of the population at risk for diabetes and its complications. This increase will challenge the already burdened health care delivery system. As health care expenditures draw more from the state's resources, the need for d isease prevention becomes more evident and deserves the utmost attention in our health care system to potentially prevent diseases and their complications from developing. References: Governor's Office of Planning and Budget. Economic Report to the Governor 2008. Available on line: http://governor.utah.gov/dea/publications.html Office of Public Health Data, Healthcare Access Survey 2005-2006 , Utah Department of Health. Available on line: http://ibis.health.utah.gov/query/result/uhas/UHASMainCrude/Diab.html U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010 , 2 nd . Ed. With Understanding an Improving Health and Objectives for Improving Health. 2 vols. Washington , D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, November 2000. Available on line: http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/HTML/Volume1/05Diabetes.htm#_Toc494509743 Submitted by Brenda Ralls Utah Health Plans Partnership Recognized Nationally The following letter was sent to CEOs and upper management of health plans involved with the Utah Health Plans Partnership (HPP). This is the sixth time that the HPP has been recognized on a national scale. "I am pleased to announce that the Center for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) has chosen the Utah Health Plans Partnership (HPP) as a model program to be presented to the United States Congress. This presentation is intended to demonstrate that federal funds used in public health programs have a positive impact on the health of our citizens and will stress the public-private partnership that has made the HPP a success." more... Submitted by Darin Larson Share Your Story Ken learned to get his diabetes under control through a diabetes and exercise program. He inspired others to do the same by sharing his story on KUTV's Check Your Health Program. Thousands more Utahns have their own diabetes stories to tell that highlight their hopes, strengths, and struggles. Now, there is a place online where all those stories can be collected and shared-The Utah Health Story Bank. Those who'd like to share their health stories can go to the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program Web site www.health.utah.gov/diabetes and click on the 'Utah Health Story Bank' icon. Once at the story bank, they can register and then submit their story. All stories will be kept confidential and will only be shared with the public, legislators, or other health professionals with express permission from the person submitting the story. We need your help spreading the word about this innovative tool, which will help to capture the health stories of Utahns. Too often, health issues are talked about in dollars and cents and the real people affected are forgotten. The Utah Health Story Bank will serve as a repository of health-related stories that can be used by UDOH, advocacy groups, local health departments, and other health care organizations to promote better health in our state. So...if you or someone you know has been affected by diabetes or another health issue we want to hear from you. Make a "deposit" in the Utah Health Story Bank today and encourage your colleagues, family, friends and patients to do the same and make a difference. As Annette Simmons said in The Story Factor, “we don't need more information. We need to know what it means. We need a story that explains what it means and makes us feel like we fit in there somewhere.” Submitted by Janae Duncan Medicare and Medicaid Provider Number Program The Utah DPCP is rolling out a project in the next couple months to provide another service to our diabetes partners in Utah . This project entails helping diabetes education programs obtain a Medicare Provider Number for eligible registered dietitians or a Medicaid Group Practice Number at the program level. For Medicaid reimbursement, some diabetes education programs bill directly through their HMO, so a Medicaid number is usually not necessary. However, if that option is not available to a program, one may consider obtaining their own Medicaid Group Practice Number to allow them to directly bill Medicaid for diabetes services. The main requirements for obtaining a Medicaid number are (1) to have at least an RN/RD education team; (2) either demonstrate Certified Diabetes Education (CDE) verification or participate in 24 hours of recent continuing education in the 10 content areas recognized by the American Diabetes Association; and (3) maintain a minimum of 6 hours of continuing education annually following completion of the initials 24 hours or CDE verification. For Medicare reimbursement, a diabetes education program must be either recognized by the American Diabetes Association or Indian Health Service in order to bill for diabetes services. If a program is not recognized by the ADA or IHS, another option to consider is to have the registered dietitian of the diabetes education program obtain a Medicare Provider Number. While the application process itself can be cumbersome, we have identified a process that is in its preliminary stages to assist RDs in obtaining a Medicare Provider Number. The main components to the Medicare Enrollment application are (1) copy of certification, (2) copy of licensure, (3) copy of diploma, and (4) a Medicare National Provider Identifier number. The good news is that while we aren't experts in this process, the Utah Diabetes Prevention & Control Program is still offering to help any who are interested in obtaining either a Medicaid Group Practice Number for their program or a Medicare Provider Number for registered dietitians. For more information, please contact Nathan Peterson at nathanpeterson@utah.gov or (801) 538-6248. Submitted by Nathan Peterson ** Coming Up** JDRF Babysitters Night H.A.N.D.S. Training, May 3rd JDRF Vendor Health Fair ADA Father of the Year Awards, June 5th Tour de Cure, June 14th We welcome you to visit our website regularly for our "What's New" postings and calendar of events. If you would like to include something in our next newsletter or on the DPCP website, contact Janae Duncan.
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