Improving Diabetes Management through a Community-Based Program

According to the American Diabetes Association, roughly 30 million Americans have diabetes; and every 21 seconds someone is diagnosed with the disease.

Under its PA-led Be the CHANGE grant project, The Memorial Hospital (TMH) of Craig, Colorado sought to impact diabetes care and the prevalence of the disease in their community. Through quarterly community-based workshops, Dr. Elise Sullivan, Certified PA Carol Bolt, and RN Cristina Livingston provided diabetes education to over 100 rural community residents.

The workshops targeted community members at-risk for diabetes and those living with diabetes. The TMH healthcare team implemented its intervention across two counties at a senior citizen facility and a health fair. Participants received information on pre-diabetes, diabetes management, meal planning, and physical activity. To promote healthy lifestyle behaviors, the workshops included a health-conscious meal that allowed clinical providers to instruct participants about information found on nutrition facts labels.

Participants were also educated on the importance of being actively involved in their own care.

“A lifestyle change program is essential to managing diabetes. We hope to help people with diabetes to change certain aspects of their lifestyle, such as eating healthier, reducing stress and getting more physical activity,” shared Carol Bolt, PA-C. “By monitoring their own diabetes outcome measures in collaboration with their healthcare team, patients can make better decisions about their health and adopt behaviors that support their overall well-being.”

The Memorial Hospital plans to expand its community outreach efforts in 2018.

This project was supported by the nccPA Health Foundation’s Be the CHANGE Grant.