Central Ohio Diabetes Association

Program Overview

The Central Ohio Diabetes Association is a local not-for-profit 501(C)3 organization that aims to reduce the high rate of diabetes-related complications and mortality in Central Ohio. The mission of the Central Ohio Diabetes Association is to help Central Ohioans living with diabetes detect their condition, prevent onset and complications, and learn to live well with the challenge of diabetes. The agency offers one of only a few American Diabetes Association recognized diabetes education programs in Central Ohio. The diabetes education services are provided by a staff of Certified Diabetes Educators, nurses, dietitians, and licensed social workers. Through Project IMPACT: Diabetes, the agency was able to expand their program to include pharmacy services. 

In the video to the right, community members discuss the type of care patients received during Project IMPACT: Diabetes and the role pharmacists played in improving people's health.

Program Partners

The Central Ohio Diabetes Association has strong community partnerships and a reputation for leadership and innovation. For Project IMPACT: Diabetes, the agency specifically partnered with local pharmacists, the Columbus Neighborhood Health Center, and the YMCA of Central Ohio. 

Community Champion: 

Jeanne Grothaus

Patient Profile

The agency serves more than 32,000 people annually through extensive outreach efforts to special populations and underserved communities. The Association’s diverse patient population includes low-income, minority and vulnerable individuals. Some patients have primary care physicians that refer them to the program, while others do not. Many patients have a wide range of special needs in addition to their diabetes that affect their diabetes management. Around 70% of the clients are unable to pay for the services they receive from the Central Ohio Diabetes Association. However, patients who are unable to pay are not turned away from the program and the services are provided to all individuals regardless of their ability to pay.

Pharmacists’ Role on the Collaborative Care Team

While the agency has always recognized the importance of medications in the management and treatment of diabetes, they wanted to have the opportunity to expand the pharmacy component of their education program. Through Project IMPACT: Diabetes, the Central Ohio Diabetes Association was able to expand their education program team to include a pharmacist. When patients begin their Diabetes Self-Management Education Classes, a registered pharmacist speaks to the full class of participants about the role of the pharmacist on the diabetes care team and the importance of medications in the treatment and management of diabetes. The participants are then provided with an opportunity to sign up for a one-one consultation with a registered pharmacist. During the one-on-one session, the pharmacist reviews the patient’s individual medication regimen in more depth. The pharmacist assesses the degree to which the patient understands how his or her diabetes medications work and how to take them and identifies if there are any adherence issues related to their medications. The one-on-one dialogue between the pharmacist and patient provides the patient with an opportunity to ask questions about their medication regimen and open up about any concerns they may have related to their medication therapy. The addition of the pharmacist to the education classes and the opportunity for clients to meet one-on-one with pharmacists has been very well received by the patients. It has helped these patients understand that pharmacists are an important member of the healthcare team that will help them manage their diabetes. 

Relevant Statistics – Community Level

According to the Ohio Diabetes Prevention and Control Program1:

• It is estimated that more than 10 percent of Ohio adults have been diagnosed with diabetes 

• Nearly 200,000 Ohio adults have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes or prediabetes, which increases their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life 

• In Franklin County, diabetes disproportionately affects black adults, people over the age of 65, those with an yearly income of less than $15,000, and those who have a high school degree as their highest level of education

Learn more about Central Ohio Diabetes Association from its profile in Pharmacy Today.

View a video to learn more about this community and its patients before Project IMPACT: Diabetes.

References

1. Source: Ohio Diabetes Prevention and Control Program. Diabetes Fact Sheet 2012. Available at: http://www.odh.ohio.gov/~/media/HealthyOhio/ASSETS/Files/diabetes/FactSheet_2012_Final.ashx. Accessed June 17, 2013. 

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet: national estimates and general information on diabetes and prediabetes in the United States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011. 

3. American Diabetes Association. Fast Facts Data and Statistics About Diabetes. Available at: http://professional.diabetes.org/admin/UserFiles/0%20-%20Sean/FastFacts%20March%202013.pdf. Accessed June 12, 2013.

Community Presentations

PRESENTATION 1

Location:

2014 Ohio Osteopathic Symposium 

Presenters:

Lindsey Matz, MSW, LSW, Patient Navigator, Central Ohio Diabetes Association 

Jenny Shrodes, LD, RD, Physician Relations Coordinator, Central Ohio Diabetes Association

About the Presentation:

The key message of the presentation was that integrating a Registered Pharmacist into a Diabetes Care team can have a significant impact on patients that have challenges managing their diabetes. The presenters discussed how the grant was incorporated into their Diabetes Self- Management Education (DSMES) classes and how it provided patients with private one-on-one consults with the pharmacist. Successes achieves through the program and the outlook for the future of the program were also shared with attendees.

Outcomes:

Presenters from the Central Ohio Diabetes Association were able to speak with attendees from Ohio Health and Mt. Carmel health system to gauge potential collaboration on the project. They were able to obtain contacts for follow-up conversations 

PRESENTATION 2

Location:

Diabetes Management Innovations Summit 

Presenters:

Lindsey E. Matz, MSW, LSWCentral Ohio Diabetes Association 

Benjamin Bluml, RPh, RPh

Senior Vice President, Research and Innovation 

APhA Foundation

About the Presentation:

The presentation shared the great work that pharmacists are doing within integrative, diabetes care teams. It showed how there were various settings involved with Project IMPACT: Diabetes and what the positive results were in the project. The Central Ohio Diabetes Association piece of the presentation specifically emphasized the missing piece of the pharmacist and how they were incorporated into their system.

Outcomes: 

The summit offered an optimal location to share the successes of the project with an audience highly interested in innovation related to diabetes care. CODA exchanged contact information with a few attendees who are interested in starting similar organizations. They hope to be a resource to others who want to implement this type of program.