Diabetes self-management in Washington State: Making it sustainable when funding runs out

Diabetes care for underserved populations like migrant farmworkers can be challenging. Language barriers, work schedules, lack of transportation, fear of immigration status -- all keep patients with diabetes away from the clinic. To address this serious and health-threatening concern, the Group Health Research Institute created a three-year project to train community health advocates to provide Diabetes Self-Management workshops in English and Spanish across Washington State. The resulting workshops have given Washington State residents the tools and skills to manage their diabetes at home between clinic visits.

Now the funding cycle is coming to an end. What next? Migrant Clinicians Network’s Ileana Ponce-Gonzalez, MD, MPH, CNC, joined her Group Health Research Institute partners for a community conference to explore ways to make the program sustainable over time. The conference brought together local government officials, academics, representatives of private health insurances, and community leaders, along with many community stakeholders and health advocates. This week, the group published their findings.

“The conference revealed strong community support for the program, and a recognition that the benefits far outweighed the costs,” said Dr. Ponce-Gonzalez. “We explored a number of long-term solutions to make sure the trainings continue to serve the needs of underserved diabetic patients, particularly migrant and seasonal farmworker (MSFW) and elderly populations.”

You can read more about the conference at the Group Health Research Institute’s blog, Healthy Findings. You can access the full publication on the conference’s process and findings here.

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