Chillocothe, Ohio-based Adena Health System is incorporating services from Ross County YMCA and Ohio State University Extension to improve diabetes management, according to the Chillicothe Gazette.
The system serves an area with a higher-than-average incidence of diabetes: Ross County, one the 12 counties the system serves, has a diabetes rate of 16.2 percent, much higher than the national average of 9.3 percent.
To combat this issue, the system has partnered with the Ross County YMCA on its Family Fit program to help motivate physical activity for diabetes patients, in addition to a partnership with OSU Extension called "Dining with Diabetes," according to the report.
The system has also implemented population managers and diabetes educators. Population managers monitor patient records and contact patients if they are in need of additional diabetes testing outside of their regular appointments. Physicians and population managers then send diabetes patients or at-risk patients to diabetes educators, who will perform an assessment and help provide guidance.
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