CUPHD Receives National Award to Support Diabetes Screening Activities for Local Seniors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 24, 2008
Contact
Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator
(217) 531-2916
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
CUPHD Receives National Award to Support Diabetes Screening Activities for Local Seniors
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to Use Award to Encourage Local Seniors to Take Advantage of Medicare Diabetes Screening Benefits
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) has received a $2500 competitive award to be used for increasing awareness of the benefits for screening for diabetes and pre-diabetes offered by Medicare. CUPHD was one of eleven community-based organizations across the United States to receive an award from the Medicare Diabetes Screening Project (MDSP).
“CUPHD is very excited about receiving this award”, said Deb Fruitt, Director of the Division of Wellness & Health Promotion for CUPHD. “Diabetes is a serious disease that effects many seniors, yet very few request regular testing from their healthcare providers. Increasing awareness of diabetes and the need for routine testing among seniors will hopefully lead to lifestyle changes that prevent diabetes or provide proper care for those that were previously undiagnosed and ultimately promote longer healthier lives for Medicare recipients.”
CUPHD has surveyed many local seniors to determine if they were aware of Medicare diabetes screening benefits, if they utilized the benefits, and what messages would be most likely to encourage them to discuss these benefits with their healthcare provider. CUPHD plans to take the results of the survey and develop a comprehensive marketing campaign that focuses on healthier living through diabetes screening. This campaign will coincide with American Diabetes Month this November.
Beginning in 2005, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began offering coverage under Medicare for screening for diabetes and pre-diabetes. The government’s goal was twofold: to encourage diabetes prevention among those found to have pre-diabetes, and to identify people who were unaware they already had diabetes so that they could begin treatment and potentially stave off the serious complications of the disease.
The Medicare Diabetes Screening Project is designed to help improve the lives of seniors ages 65 and older by educating them about the diabetes screening benefits offered by Medicare and encouraging them to ask their health care providers about getting screened during their next office visit. Founded in 2006, the MDSP is comprised of a coalition of more than 20 government agency, nonprofit organization and corporate partners, co-led by the American Diabetes Association, the Healthcare Leadership Council, and Novo Nordisk.
For more information on diabetes or any other CUPHD program, please contact CUPHD at (217) 352-7961 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org.
###