A Governor’s Proclamation recognizes the Mississippi Health First Collaborative at the launch of the initiative at the Jackson Medical Mall Oct. 29. From left, Candice Whitfield of the Governor’s Office, who presented the proclamation; Dr. Barry Straube, CMS chief medical officer and director of the Office of Clinical Standards and Quality (OCSQ); Dr. Aaron Shirley, Jackson Medical Mall founder; and Terris King, deputy director, OCSQ.
A statewide effort to improve care for patients with diabetes across Mississippi, particularly for patients considered to be “medically underserved,” has been announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This initiative, the Mississippi Health First Collaborative, is designed to have patients receive diabetes selfmanagement training in their home communities. Members of the collaborative will help motivate and educate diabetes patients across the state to take preventive action against some of the complications of diabetes.
Patients will participate in diabetes self-management training classes and receive health education literature on how to control their blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Establishing relationships with primary care providers will be a part of the program that will address better nutrition and regular exercise. The effect of housing arrangements on patients’ health and the development of support networks of family, friends, and community-based social services will be a part of the focus.
“The Mississippi Health First Collaborative is a first for all of us,” said Barry M. Straube, MD, CMS’ chief medical officer and director of the agency’s Office of Clinical Standards and Quality.
“It’s a first for patients, who will receive help managing their diabetes in community settings that are both familiar and comfortable to them. It’s also a first for CMS and our extensive network of diabetes partners in Mississippi - to bring partners together in a way that let us all reach thousands more patients than we could have possibly reached alone.”
Other federal agencies participating in the Mississippi Health First Collaborative include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Administration on Aging (AOA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health. National non-profit and state entities working with the collaborative include the American Association of Diabetes Educators, American Diabetes Association, National Academy for State Health Policy, and the Mississippi State Department of Health.
During the next 18 months, CMS and other collaborative members will work together seeking thousands of patients with diabetes in Mississippi, through federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, existing and newly formed diabetes training programs, Area Agencies on Aging, the Division of Aging and Adult Services, and housing authorities. CMS is mobilizing community groups, health experts, faith-based organizations, housing providers, healthcare providers, community leaders and others to reach patients across the state, including those with Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance and others without insurance.
In Mississippi, approximately one in seven African Americans has been diagnosed with diabetes, compared to one in ten whites. QIOs such as IQH work in every state and territory to improve the quality of health care available to local Medicare beneficiaries. To date, these efforts have helped more than 2,700 beneficiaries.
