Monday, June 17, 2013
12 – 1 pm ET
Click here to register

The Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes is hosting a webinar on June 17 titled:

Community Health Workers and Reducing Disparities in Diabetes: Lessons Learned From the Front Lines of Care

Community health workers (CHWs) who are part of the Diabetes Equity Project (DEP) in Dallas are helping to improve the health of underserved people living with diabetes. DEP is one of five local programs that make up the Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes, a national program supported by the Merck Foundation. CHWs, also known as promotores or patient navigators, serve as a bridge between patients and providers, helping patients understand how to follow through with their treatment plans at home. Baylor Health Care System, where the DEP program is located, has seen improved health outcomes and reduced costs as a result of integrating CHWs on the front lines of care.

Despite the demonstrated benefits that CHWs can provide, widespread implementation of the role has faced a number of challenges. The Alliance’s Dallas site established the “Diabetes Health Promoter,” a state-certified CHW who completes 160-hours of training and participates in continuing education.

Webinar participants will learn about:

• The opportunities for expanding the use of CHWs and ways for other states and health systems to leverage the lessons learned at Baylor
• The process Baylor took to recruit, train and credential CHWs
• The first-hand experience of a Baylor CHW

• Belinda Nelson, PhD, Research Investigator, National Program Office, Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes (Moderator)
• Christine A. Snead, RN, CPHQ, Nurse Manager, Care Coordination, Baylor Physician Services, Baylor Health Care System
• Magdalena Lopez, Community Health Worker, HealthTexas Provider Network, Baylor Health Care System
• James Walton, DO, MBA, President and CEO, Genesis Physicians Group, Former Vice President Network Performance, Baylor Quality Alliance, Baylor Health Care System

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About the Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes
The Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes, a national program launched and supported by the Merck Foundation, works to improve health care delivery among those populations most at risk for diabetes – African-American, Hispanic/Latino and Native American adults. The five health care delivery sites that comprise the Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes have implemented multifaceted evidence-based approaches designed to eliminate gaps produced by inequity and lack of targeted attention to those adults and their families who are most likely to be severely burdened by diabetes.  For more information about the Alliance and its sites, click here.