Two Ohio FQHCs have been charged with implementing specific programs to support community prevention strategies focused on preventing diabetes and controlling hypertension. In order to attempt to improve health care and preventative services within their organizations, the health centers will complete health system interventions to create a link between community programs and clinical services. This two-year funded effort is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Ohio Department of Health.
To accomplish these prevention efforts, the health centers will be utilizing the Million Hearts Hypertension Control Change Package for Clinicians and the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). The focus areas of the grant are: (1) Improving Management of Adult Patients with Hypertension, (2) Finding Adult Patients with Undiagnosed Hypertension, and (3) Identifying Adult Patients with Prediabetes and then referring to a DPP while establishing a back and forth dialog between the DPP and the referred healthcare providers.
Health Partners of Western Ohio, located in Allen County, has received pending recognition by the CDC to implement their own recognized DPP within their health center. They are currently working on program development and training staff.
Family Health Care of Northwest Ohio, located in Van Wert County, will be referring prediabetes patients to, and working closely with the Van Wert County Hospital DPP. Van Wert County Hospital is also in pending recognition and is working towards receiving full CDC recognition for its DPP.
While the DPP has been shown to reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes by 58%, limited research has been conducted within FQHCs, particularly in Ohio. OACHC will be collecting quarterly data reports from these health centers to track their progress in successfully implementing both the hypertension change package and a successful link or integration with a DPP.
