On July 18-19, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), in collaboration with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, hosted an Ohio Diabetes Prevention Summit in Columbus, OH, to determine strategic actions needed to prevent type 2 diabetes in the state of Ohio.
The two-day program included an educational call to action and a dynamic planning session that focused on the development of strategies to scale and sustain the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP), the first program of its kind to have evidence-based outcomes around improving patients’ health when it comes to prediabetes and diabetes. On the first day, the educational session included highlights from the national, state, and local levels about current efforts to support the National DPP. On the second day, statewide leaders developed the framework for an action plan to enhance National DPP efforts in Ohio.
Ohio Academy of Family Physicians’ Deputy Executive Vice President Kate Mahler, CAE; Director of Performance Improvement Erin Jech; and Director of Events and Foundation Programs Kaitlin McGuffie attended the first day of the Summit.
Highpoints of the day included session topics on: understanding the national landscape, the evolving value-based health care landscape, working with health systems to implement diabetes prevention, and a spotlight on success panel discussion.
The keynote session titled, “Understanding the National Landscape: Why National DPP must be Implemented throughout Ohio,” presented by Ann Albright, PhD, RD, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was an eye-opening one. Her presentation included data around the prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes and what it means in terms of cost and American health overall. She highlighted the National DPP as one solution.
Overall, 86 million American adults have prediabetes and 9 out of 10 people with prediabetes don’t know they have it. Without weight loss and moderate physical activity, 15-30% of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes in within 5 years. These stats lead to increased costs to the health care system and a decrease in population health.
The OAFP, through its newly created Diabetes Prevention Quality Improvement module, is making steps towards improving these stats in Ohio. But, it’s up to our members to utilize this tool and truly make an impact to the communities you serve. For more information about the Diabetes Prevention module, visit the OAFP website.
If you’d like to learn more about the National DPP and find DPP locations near you, visit the ODH website.