Madison County Rural Health Council
(Madison County, NY – March 2014) The Madison County Rural Health Council, Inc., a local health network serving Madison County, was notified that it will receive funding through its partnership with Herkimer County HealthNet, Inc., from two different sources to support the National Diabetes Prevention Program in Madison County: the New York State Health Foundation’s “Laying the Groundwork to Scale Up the National Diabetes Prevention Program in New York State” program and Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield’s “Community and Member Health Improvement” grant.
The awards total approximately $146,000 over the next three years, of which MCRHC will receive approximately $46,000. MCRHC has partnered with HCHN, who will act as the coordinating agency for National Diabetes Prevention activities in both counties, on this initiative.
The National Diabetes Prevention Program will address adults in Madison County who are at risk for pre-diabetes or diabetes. A major risk factor for developing diabetes is, simply, age and Madison County has a higher percentage of citizens over the age of 65 (15 percent) than either NYS (14.1 percent) or the U.S. (13.7 percent).
Obesity and lack of physical activity are also major risk factors for developing diabetes. Madison County’s percent of adults who are obese is 26.7 percent, according to the NYSDOH. This is above the NYS percentage of 23.2 percent.
The main focus of the grants is to establish a sustainable capacity to offer the National Diabetes Prevention Program to the rural residents of Madison County by developing a corps of trained lifestyle coaches. The grants will allow for three new coaches to be trained to deliver the National Diabetes Prevention Program and for multiple sessions of the class to be offered in Madison County over the next three years.
“Adults in our community can significantly reduce their risk of developing diabetes by making healthy lifestyle changes like losing weight, eating a healthier diet and becoming active,” said Eve Van de Wal, regional president for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. “But making those changes can be daunting. That’s why this program is so important – it provides participants with tools and support to help them take charge of their own health.”
The Center for Disease Control’s Diabetes Prevention Program research study showed that making modest behavior changes helped participants in the program lose 5- to 7 percent of their body weight – that is 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person – and that these lifestyle changes reduced the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58 percent in people with pre-diabetes. This initiative provides an opportunity to improve the health of residents of Madison County.