Diabetes project creates pharmacist-run program
Success has led to continued financial support
El Rio Community Health Center's pharmacy-based diabetes management program has gotten a boost with a $250,000 grant from the Bank of America Foundation. Officials with the Tucson program say the grant will allow them to hire a third pharmacist for the program, which currently operates in a community clinic and a tribal clinic.
The program began in 2001 when the El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center received some $250,000 from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Pharmacy Affairs to fund a diabetes management demonstration project. The health center used the funds to hire clinical pharmacy supervisors Sandra Leal, PharmD, CDE, who created intensive, personalized programs to help patients with diabetes control their blood sugar and manage comorbid conditions.
Patients enrolled in the program achieved significant drops in blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C levels and significant improvements in lipid profiles and blood pressure control, earning Leal and her colleagues an American Society of Health-system Pharmacists best practices award in 2005.
"Because we were able to have such success in improving the care of patients with diabetes and the comorbidities, like blood pressure and cholesterol, we've continued to receive funding from various sources, primarily grants and other local donations," Leal has said.
El Rio did not solicit the Bank of America grant. Rather, a local bank branch manager who had heard about the program inquired about the grant and helped the center through the application process.
Nearly 1,500 patients in the medically underserved community receive diabetes management services from the program. The new grant is expected to facilitate adding 200-300 more patients.
American Indians living in southern Arizona have the highest diabetes rate in the nation—27.6% for adults age 20 or older, according to federal estimates. Hispanic Americans also are disproportionately affected by diabetes, with 9.5% of adults age 20 and older estimated to have the condition.
According to the El Rio Foundation, 72% of patients served by the 15 clinics in the system in 2006 were of Hispanic descent and 10% were Native Americans. Half of clinic patients were Medicaid beneficiaries.
El Rio Community Health Center's pharmacy-based diabetes management program has gotten a boost with a $250,000 grant from the Bank of America Foundation.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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