Diabetes (DM) is the eighth leading cause of death in the US and Cook County, IL and largely affects African American (AA) and Latinx (LX) minorities. Social determinants of health (SDOH) like race/ethnicity, health literacy and access significantly shape the health status and quality of life of these groups. Poor health literacy, food insecurity and access to health care services lead to costly health complications that burden the healthcare system. These complications can be mitigated by implementing Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) programs. Community health workers (CHWs) have demonstrated efficacy in increasing health literacy and access to healthcare making them valuable DM self-management educators. The Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) developed by the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), has demonstrated efficacy in educating CHWs and communities affected by DM. Medicaid services in Illinois acknowledges the importance of DSMES and currently covers the enrollment of patients with DM in DEEP. In this proposal, we rely on our expertise engaging multi-cultural communities throughout the US, multiple years of experience working with CHWs, and our recognized bilingual/bicultural DEEP, to claim our capacity to conduct a community intervention in Cook County, IL that will educate and empower minorities with DM and their families, using best practices for daily self-care and long-term prevention of complications, while expanding the pool of Medicaid recipients in Illinois. We are applying for Component B of CDC-RFPS-DP-23-0020: A Strategic Approach to Advancing Health Equity for Priority Populations with or at Risk for Diabetes, in which DEEP will be used as intervention. By establishing a coalition of hospitals, clinics, community-based organizations and CHWs, we will implement a health education campaign that includes personalized approaches, engages educational and policy making institutions and uses me
dia strategies to reach a high priority population of ≥350,000 in Cook County, IL. Our intervention targets adults ≥18 years of age in urban, low to moderate income AA and LX communities, and proposes four strategies:
Strategy 1. Strengthen DM self-care practices by improving access, appropriateness and feasibility of DSMES services for AA and LX populations
a. Identifying barriers to implementing DSMES programs; generate and disseminate mitigation strategies; and increase the number of support services for HL and AA communities
b. Increase annually the number of CHW DEEP educators in Cook County
c. Increase the number of CHWs that engage patients in DSMES workshops
d. Increase the number of residents who receive DSMES every year
Strategy 2. Expand access to health care by increasing Medicaid enrollment.
a. Develop training and reference guide for CHWs on DSMES, SDOH, and Medicaid coverage
b. CHWs will engage patients in DSMES workshops and ensure their Medicaid coverage
c. Develop public service announcements and advertisement to increase awareness regarding Medicaid coverage for eligible populations in Cook County
Strategy 3. Improve sustainability of CHW workforce by strengthening policies and supportive infrastructure and resources in Cook County and Illinois.
a. Create a toolkit for organizations that employ CHWs to increase their capacity and provide increased job security to their CHWs
b. Provide technical assistance and create a guide on getting DEEP™ workshops reimbursed through public/private insurers
c. Support policy efforts to generate sustainable and payable working conditions for CHWs in Illinois
Strategy 4. Improve the capacity of CHWs to address diabetes and factors related to SDOH that affect health outcomes in AA and LX populations
a. Expand health literacy of AAs and LX with and at-risk of diabetes
b. Engage community grocery stores interested in being certified by DEEP™ as “Diabetes Friendly”
c. Publish and promote this list through mixed media