Mississippi Diabetes Project: Advancing Health Equity in Diabetes Care and Prevention - Mississippi persistently has among the highest rates of diabetes (14.4%) in the country. The socio-cultural and economic conditions in mostly rural and medically underserved communities make diabetes management and prevention a formidable challenge for individuals and families. The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) proposes to lead the implementation and evaluation of 6 evidence-based strategies outlined in Component B as a strategic approach to advancing health equity for priority populations in Mississippi. The primary purpose of the Mississippi Diabetes Program is to develop and activate sustainable clinical-community linkages that will lead to improved diabetes outcomes and diabetes prevention. The project is anchored in health equity and community engagement and will seek to address social needs at the community (i.e., establish food pantries) and individual/familial (i.e., transportation, health literacy) levels. The project team and partners propose to work in 41 of Mississippi’s high-needs counties to reach 1,066,150 Mississippians with the highest rates of diabetes (greater than or equal to 14%). As the only academic medical center in the state, UMMC will serve as the lead organization of this proposal including the Telehealth Center of Excellence, Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities, Lifestyle Medicine, Population Health Science, and Data Science. The project partners include the Community Health Center Association of Mississippi (CHCAMS), local Community Health Centers, the Mississippi State Department of Health, community-based organizations, the Mississippi State University Extension Agency, county-level Extension Agencies, and the Mississippi Food Network. The Center for Research Evaluation at the University of Mississippi will lead the project evaluation. The targeted priority populations who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to optimal health in Mississippi include residents in rural and medically underserved communities, Blacks or African Americans, and socioeconomically disadvantaged families. The targeted high-needs counties include Adams, Amite, Attala, Bolivar, Chickasaw, Claiborne, Clarke, Clay, Coahoma, Copiah, Covington, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake, Leflore, Marion, Marshall, Montgomery, Neshoba, Noxubee, Panola, Pike, Quitman, Scott, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tunica, Union, Walthall, Warren, Washington, Winston, Yazoo Counties in Mississippi. The proposed project has a high likelihood to improve diabetes outcomes and prevention and advance health equity among Mississippi’s most vulnerable residents.
