Federal Economic Development Agency Launches Innovative Health Care Initiative in Eight States

The Delta Regional Authority unveiled a new program today built on the concept of using health as an economic engine. Healthy Delta is an initiative that addresses the devastating effects of the diabetes epidemic in the Delta region. Healthy Delta’s outreach and education program encourages residents who may have diabetes to see a health care professional and manage the long-term debilitating effects of the disease. The announcement was made at the National Press Club.

“If someone can’t consistently go to work five days in a row because they’re sick, it affects worker productivity and, ultimately, the economic prosperity of our region,” said Pete Johnson, federal co-chairman of the DRA. “We know that healthy economies are built with healthy workforces. The goal of this program is to get our workforce healthy.”

Healthy Delta is an outreach and education program that includes television, print and web components designed to drive Delta residents to the Healthy Delta call center. Callers speak to a diabetes specialist, are given a free diabetes risk test, screened for Medicaid eligibility, given help finding a doctor and plugged into other diabetes education and management resources in their area. The media outreach will be combined with community, minority and grassroots outreach plans to bring the message about taking control of one’s diabetes to hard-to-reach segments of the population.

Each person who calls the toll free number, 1-866-602-3300, or visits the Healthy Delta website, http://www.healthydelta.com/ , will be contacted again for follow up at 30-, 60- , 90- and 120-day intervals to track progress and see if the caller visited a health care provider or diabetes education center. Based on data collected by the call center, the DRA is building a database to demonstrate measurable outcomes in diabetes management in the Delta region.

Also present at the announcement was Larry Smith, national chair of the American Diabetes Association. Smith discussed ADA’s support for Healthy Delta.

“The American Diabetes Association commends the Healthy Delta initiative for shining a spotlight on this increasingly urgent public health crisis,” Smith said. “With diabetes prevalence increasing at an alarming rate in the Delta Region and across the country, we need more — not less — engagement and resources from all levels of government. We are excited about this new innovative approach from the Delta Regional Authority to bring about real change in the fight against diabetes.”

Smith also discussed the growing diabetes epidemic in the U.S, and specifically in the Delta. The ADA has done extensive research on the negative economic impact of diabetes from direct medical costs and indirect costs from lost worker productivity and emergency room visits.