Community Partnerships Increase Diabetes-Related Successes at White Memorial Medical Center

EAST LOS ANGELES, CAJuly 1, 2010It is well documented that type 2 diabetes runs rampant among the Latino communities of East Los Angeles. However, thanks to strong partnerships between White Memorial Medical Center and several influential individuals and organizations, Latino children and adultsas well as their caregiversare gaining important tools that will help them manage diabetes or avoid it altogether. Through omnibus appropriations for 2010, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard has secured $500,000 in government funding for White Memorial to develop enhanced diabetes services for the community, particularly in the areas of prevention and health maintenance. A portion of that money is already being used at White Memorial for HELP (Healthy Eating Lifestyle Program), which employs fun activities and a dynamic learning environment to educate elementary-age children in the community with a greater than normal body mass index (BMI). The children attend HELP sessions with a family member. A team of community and hospital educators show the participants how good nutrition, physical activity and other positive lifestyle choices can lower their BMI and improve their overall health. Although the program is not focused solely on diabetes prevention, its healthy lifestyle message helps participants take steps to avoid the disease. We make it a point to involve our community-based educators along with our diabetes professionals, said White Memorial Associate Vice President Sharon McCoy. We know how important it is to work in partnership with our community in order for diabetes education or any other health and lifestyle initiatives to be successful. The children are referred to HELP from their pediatricians or family practice physicians. Six families were involved in the first HELP group, and 10 families have already registered for the second session of the program. While the pilot sessions of HELP were by referral only, the hospital will soon promote the program within the community to provide a broader opportunity for families to be involved. Our goal is to bring education and awareness to our community regarding healthy eating and diabetes prevention, said Ray Morales, MD, White Memorials vice president of medical affairs. Our children are our future, and we must step forward and give them the hope and guidance they deserve. White Memorials HELP classes are part of a larger demonstration project led by the Hospital Association of Southern California. The group is collecting data on all the HELP programs in the region to determine if this type of family-focused education makes a substantial difference. If the results are positive, the hospital association hopes to expand the program. White Memorial is also benefitting from the talents of Martha Montoya, a prominent businesswoman and creator of the popular Los Kitos comic strip and characters. Her work focuses on improving the education, health and future of children. Montoya volunteers her time with the diabetes education team at White Memorial to drive the hospitals health message into the Latino community.

It is a real honor to be working with someone who is so well knownnot just locally, but nationally and internationallyfor her positive, healthy messages for children and adults, McCoy said. We know that Martha will be a great partner in our efforts to effectively reach our community. Diabetes patients and those at risk for the disease in the community are also reaping the benefits of the ACCORD study, a 10-year, government-sponsored clinical trial that examined the relationship between diabetes control and cardiovascular disease. The approximately 350 participants from East Los Angeles comprised the second-largest group among 77 sites in the U.S. and Canada for the trial, which ended in 2009. In total, more than 10,000 people with diabetes took part in the ACCORD study. For 10 years, participants received the best medical care that diabetics can get, and it was all without charge, McCoy said. And as a result of the studys findings, physicians have a much better understanding of how to effectively manage diabetes. Christian Gastelum, MD, director of White Memorials diabetes program, noted another positive outcome of the study. Our involvement in the ACCORD trial gives access to the latest therapies, he said. This is a group that has been long overlooked in medical research. Gastelum said that the hospital participated in an extension of the ACCORD trial that examined blood pressure management in diabetics and is currently involved in the TIDE trial, a follow-up study on the same topic. White Memorials involvement in these studies has spurred the hospitals interest in more actively pursuing opportunities to participate in clinical trials. When White Memorial participates in such activities, there are great benefits to the community, McCoy said. Patients in the study get free, high-quality medical care, the hospital learns how to make our services more effective, and primary care physicians have access to current patient care knowledge, she said. In addition, high-quality clinical trials help to attract top physicians to your facility, and as a result, people have the best possible health care providers right in their own community. The bottom-line motivation for White Memorials involvement in all of its diabetes education and other disease management and prevention activities is to fulfill its mission to care for its community. Were focusing our energy and resources on community-based programs that help people aspire to achieve better health and to take personal responsibility to make that happen, she said. While White Memorial Medical Center is committed to providing professional, compassionate health care, our mission compels us to be more than just a hospital. As a result, White Memorial has become an economic engine for East Los Angeles that provides jobs, trains and develops a professional workforce, prepares a new generation of Latino physicians and nurses, engages in medical research and clinical trials, and focuses on wellness prevention and education, with an emphasis on Latino health care. ###