Mississippi Health First. A New Collaborative Effort to Tackle Diabetes

One of the proposed elements of the Mississippi Health First Collaborative

A major effort to improve care for Mississippians with Diabetes is underway by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. MPB's Patty Davis reports.

Mississippi's high rate of Diabetes has reached critical levels, especially in the African American communities. Dr Warren Jones is Director of the Mississippi Institute for Improvement of Geographic Minority Health at UMC.

Jones: So it's very real. And we've got to get to know the folks representing the national agencies, the state agencies and we've gotta build those connections to our communities. To say that together, we're gonna put our hands around this and we are gonna beat the sugar out of Diabetes.

The Mississippi Health First Collaborative, will focus on patients considered to be the medically underserved. Patients will receive diabetes self-management training in their home communities rather than traditional settings like doctors offices and clinics. The partnership includes the Agency on Aging, the American Diabetes Association, the National Institutes on Health, Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's where Patricia Schumaker is lead for the state consultation team.

Schumaker: When we come together as a number of organizations trying to tackle a problem of the magnitude of Diabetes, we can only have more success. So, I'm really encouraged about the potential here.

Headlining the kickoff events on Thursday was Dr. Barry Straube - Chief Medical Officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Straube: Yes we have it in other states, yes we hope to have something similar in all states. But this is uniquely different in that everybody has committed resources to attack the problem here in Mississippi where it's greatest. If we can't improve things here, we can't improve things anywhere.

During the next 18 months participating agencies hope to reach thousands of diabetes patients across the state.

**For information on how to get involved, patient, caregivers, healthcare providers and community leaders can call
1-877-746-6465. Or log on to http:/www.cmspulse.org