The purpose of this project is to decrease type 2 diabetes among adults in Utah and to improve quality of care, early detection and prevention of diabetes. - This Healthy Environments Active Living (HEAL) Program at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) located at 288 North 1460 West, Salt Lake City, Utah 84116-3231, is applying for Component A of CDC-RFA-DP23-020. The HEAL Program will collaboratively implement strategies with internal and external partners to improve diabetes prevention and management efforts and expand the infrastructure of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Utah. The HEAL Program will do this through partnerships with Utah’s 13 local health departments (LHDs) and through a diverse group of stakeholders including community-based organizations, nonprofits, health systems and clinics. Utah’s 13 LHDs have a statewide geographical reach and an intimate knowledge of their communities across the state. Specifically, the HEAL Program and its partners will engage in Strategies 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, and 13. The HEAL Program has a long history of successes in diabetes management and prevention as well as CHW infrastructure and support. For example, in the past few years the HEAL Program supported Intermountain Healthcare in developing a diabetes self-management program tailored to specific needs of Pacific Islanders; provided education and technical support necessary for the passage of Utah House Bill 80, which made the National DPP eligible for Medicaid reimbursement; and has provided training to over 432 CHWs through Utah’s Core Skills training and provided education and support necessary for CHW Certification to become officially recognized through Utah Senate Bill 104. Additionally, the HEAL Program was recognized as a finalist for the 2022 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Award for Outstanding Epidemiology Practice in Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities for its collaborative effort in assessing the needs of priority populations with diabetes. The HEAL Program also has experience conducting focus groups, surveys, and listening sessions to engage the communities being served, and will leverage those experiences when working with the priority populations. To achieve its many successes, the HEAL Program has developed robust statewide coalitions focused on diabetes management (Utah Diabetes Coalition), diabetes prevention (Steering Committee for the Prevention of Diabetes), and CHW infrastructure (the CHW Coalition). Members of the coalitions include representatives from local and state public health, nonprofits, healthcare systems, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders. These coalitions act as advisors to ensure grant efforts are strategically aligned and comprehensive in nature. To address the social determinants of health (SDOH), and to ensure the needs of priority populations are met, the HEAL Program implemented a Health Equity Plan, overseen by the Health Equity Specialist. The Health Equity Specialist has worked alongside HEAL Program Subject Matter Experts (SME) to integrate health equity and SDOH into chronic disease management and prevention efforts since 2019. The Health Equity Specialist will also help guide activities over the course of the grant to help reach priority populations. In addition, Utah’s thirteen LHDs will serve as the primary contractors for Utah’s diabetes efforts. Their local expertise and familiarity with community needs will ensure each strategy is tailored to meet the needs of priority populations in each geographic area, as appropriate. With this support, the HEAL Program has the capability to serve all populations and communities within the state proposed in the accompanying work plan.
