Friday, July 26, 2024
7/26/2024
United Indian Health Services, Inc (UIHS) is a tribal consortium governed health clinic system serving a region spanning 5,000 square miles of Northwest California. UIHS provides a full service, medical home/patient-centered family practice model of care that includes obstetrics. The UIHS SDPI Diabetes Awareness Program is housed within the Tribal Public Health Division at UIHS and is deeply integrated with all other departments and aspects of care throughout our clinic system. The SDPI Diabetes Program focuses on patient education, along with the treatment and prevention of diabetes. We combine individual education, group sessions and classes, and community events to achieve these goals. We also work in an integrated fashion with other events and programs at UIHS to promote broad education around healthier lifestyles particularly regarding fitness and nutrition. This provides benefits to those with diabetes while also promoting prevention for those at risk. The UIHS Diabetes Program manager is a family physician with over 20 years of experience in the field of diabetes. We have three nurse educators, a nutritionist, a fitness coordinator, an outreach worker, and support staff to deliver services. Our individual education is personalized and specific to where the patient is in process with their diabetes. We provide information in the manner most accessible to the individual patient. Our "Best Practice" is focused on improving blood glucose balance as measured both by "time in range" as well as A1c. We utilize Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) in every possible appropriate situation to assist in this process, along with nutrition and fitness education, as well as medication management. Our nutritionist and fitness coordinator work with patients on individually tailored goals to treat or prevent diabetes. We support the UIHS obstetrics program by providing education and treatment for those who are pregnant with diabetes whether pre-existing or gestational diabetes. We also provide in-person and telemedicine-based education sessions for groups. We are adding cooking demonstrations in-person and on "Youtube." UIHS is establishing a Physical and Occupational Therapy Program that the Diabetes Program will be partnering with to further assist our patients with their healthier lifestyle goals. Additional programs include pool access, vouchers for organic produce at our clinic farmers market with the produce grown on clinic property by the Potawot Community Food Garden, and physical activity support for adults with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Our community events incorporate cultural strengths and traditions with modern modalities that reflect the unique needs of our local AI community. Our events include a well-attended annual walk and health fair with speakers at a healthy lunch. Our program provides educational outreach and presentations on healthier lifestyles for local Tribes and at tribal community events. We also provide youth (ages 3-18) physical activity support to encourage life-long fitness awareness and we support our Cultural Awareness Program in providing healthy food choices as well as fitness and nutrition education to their Summer Youth Camps. These events have a strong focus on cross-system collaboration, community partners, presence of family and community resources. We welcome comments or questions, please feel free to contact the Diabetes Program manager at the UIHS Potawot Health Village (PHV) clinic; the main PHV number is 707 825-5000.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
