The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), located at 2 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303, seeks funding under Component A of CDC-RFA-DP-23-0020, to continue operation and expansion of a comprehensive and coordinated approach to inform policy, systems, and environmental change to prevent and control diabetes and increase equitable health outcomes by focusing on priority populations across the State of Georgia.
Based on burden of diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases, Georgia DPH has identified priority populations for the approach described in this application. The priority public health districts include South Central Health District, North Central Health District, West Central Health District, South Health District, Southwest Health District and Southeast Health District. In these areas, DPH will prioritize individuals living in rural communities, low-income communities, Hispanic ethnicities, African Americans, and individuals with disabilities.
The Georgia DPH will work with its broad structure of local public, private and statewide partners, using evidence-based strategies to avert the development of diabetes among populations that are at high risk for developing diabetes, and to support Georgians who are living with diabetes to improve management of the disease and prevent complications. Georgia DPH will work to achieve the following outcomes: increase in the number of organizations implementing evidence-based community behavioral change programs, as well as increased participation in the programs; increased tailoring of effective programs for priority populations; improved self-management of chronic diseases; increased patient contact with CHWs; increased SDOH screenings in clinical settings and increased referrals of screened patients to community resources.
In implementing this approach, DPH proposes work under the following six strategies for priority populations in Georgia: Improve access, appropriateness, and feasibility of DSMES services; Prevent diabetes complications through early detection; Increase enrollment and retention of priority populations in the National DPP lifestyle intervention and the MDPP; Implement, spread, and sustain an evidence-based, family-centered childhood obesity intervention; Increase and sustain DSMES and National DPP Delivery sites within pharmacy networks; and Strengthening a supportive infrastructure for CHWs to expand their involvement in evidence-based diabetes prevention and management programs and services.
To achieve statewide reach to increase access to and participation in diabetes programs and services for priority populations, DPH will leverage established partnerships with organizations that have members and locations that extend across the state, to include: Georgia Primary Care Association, membership organization of 35 federally qualified health centers with 231 primary care sites, covering 130 GA counties and seeing 660,000 patients annually; University of Georgia (UGA) Extension with a strong network of extension agents with strong community connections and a presence in every county in the state; Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network of Georgia, a clinically integrated network of 157 independent community pharmacies throughout the state; and the 18 public health districts, who have extensive experience in reaching rural communities, low-income populations, as well as African Americans and Hispanic/Latino populations.
