CVS Health Foundation's $500,000 grant will help bridge critical gaps in
care navigation for the New York City
community
ARLINGTON, Va., July 31,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Diabetes
Association® (ADA) and the CVS Health Foundation have joined
forces in a new collaboration that focuses on improving maternal
health outcomes and addressing the gaps in care navigation for
women with gestational diabetes (GDM) in New York City.
![(PRNewsfoto/American Diabetes Association) (PRNewsfoto/American Diabetes Association)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2236944/American_Diabetes_Association_We_Fight_Logo.jpg)
The new $500,000 funding from
the CVS Health Foundation will bolster maternal health
services for organizations that are a part of the ADA's Women's
Health Initiative, like the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, to
support their patients in Brooklyn
and Queens. Ralph Ruggiero, MD, FACOG, FACS, chairman and
residency program director, Department of Obstetrics &
Gynecology at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, shared, "We are
excited about participating in this next phase of the ADA's Women's
Health Initiative, supported by the CVS Health Foundation, where we
will focus our work on strengthening prenatal screening and
referral for the people we serve who are at high risk for or have
been diagnosed with GDM. This program will also enable our
community health workers and doulas to reach deeper into our
community to support patient navigation and promote the importance
of postpartum screenings and treatment."
Approximately 50% of women diagnosed with GDM with go on to
develop type 2 diabetes. The new funding from the CVS Health
Foundation will enable the ADA to expand its programming with
health care systems in New York
City to improve outcomes. As part of this project, ADA has
also engaged the support of the Clinical Directors Network, Inc.
(CDN). CDN is a New York-based
not-for-profit clinician membership organization, practice-based
research network (PBRN), and clinician training organization,
founded to provide peer-initiated activities for clinicians
practicing in low income, minority, and other underserved
communities. This expansion will include increasing access to early
GDM screenings and follow-up care and screenings, simplifying the
complex care navigation process through a robust referral system,
and strengthening the workforce supporting this effort, including
community health workers and doulas.
"While gestational diabetes affects up to 9% of pregnancies in
the U.S., its incidence and impacts are not distributed equally,"
said Charles "Chuck" Henderson,
chief executive officer of the ADA. "The collaboration with the CVS
Health Foundation opens the door for additional screening,
education, and outreach to improve outcomes for women with
gestational diabetes, particularly women of color, both prenatal
and postnatal."
Mothers with GDM have a higher risk during pregnancy of high
blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, and postpartum hemorrhage,
and have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (8-
to 10 times the risk compared to women without GDM) after
pregnancy. In America, Black and Hispanic women are up to two times
more likely than white women to have GDM and to experience
associated pregnancy or postpartum complications.
"Our unwavering commitment to women's health is the driving
force behind our efforts to support organizations working to ensure
equitable access to maternal health services in our communities,"
said Sheryl Burke, senior vice
president of corporate social responsibility and chief
sustainability officer at CVS Health. "Through our collaboration
with the ADA and the health care providers within the program, we
will significantly increase access to maternal health services and
educational resources for the New York City
community."
The learnings from New York
City will allow the ADA to demonstrate improved outcomes in
GDM screening and reduced disparities in care to create a model for
future growth and replication in other communities.
About the American Diabetes Association
The
American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading
voluntary health organization fighting to bend the curve on the
diabetes epidemic and help people living with diabetes thrive. For
83 years, the ADA has driven discovery and research to treat,
manage, and prevent diabetes while working relentlessly for a cure.
Through advocacy, program development, and education we aim to
improve the quality of life for the 136 million Americans living
with diabetes or prediabetes. Diabetes has brought us
together. What we do next will make us Connected for
Life®. To learn more or to get involved,
visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES
(1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook
(American Diabetes Association), Spanish Facebook
(Asociación Americana de la Diabetes), LinkedIn
(American Diabetes Association), Twitter
(@AmDiabetesAssn), and Instagram
(@AmDiabetesAssn).
About CVS Health
CVS Health® is the leading
health solutions company, delivering care like no one else can. We
reach more people and improve the health of communities across
America through our local presence, digital channels and over
300,000 dedicated colleagues — including more than 40,000
physicians, pharmacists, nurses and nurse practitioners. Wherever
and whenever people need us, we help them with their health —
whether that's managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with
their medications or accessing affordable health and wellness
services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the
health care system — and their personal health care — by improving
access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every
meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and
every day. Follow @CVSHealth on social
media.
Contact: Virginia Cramer, (703) 253-4927
press@diabetes.org
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SOURCE American Diabetes Association