CDC https://cdc.gov has awarded a grant for $2.19 million to the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) https://www.ok.gov/health. The grant funding to be available through June 29, 2020, will be used to help people at higher risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
The grant funding will continue the focus on areas in the state disproportionately affected by high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes or prediabetes, due to socioeconomic factors such as inadequate access to care, poor quality of care, or low income.
Projects funded through the grants will include tracking and monitoring clinical measures shown to improve healthcare quality and to identify patients with hypertension. Links are going to be provided to community resources and clinical services to support referrals, self-management, and lifestyle changes for patients with high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.
OSDH also has established partnerships with other organizations. OSDH has been working with Choctaw Nation Health Services (CNHS) https://www.choctawnation.com to make it possible for tribal and non-tribal community members to participate in high blood pressure and self-management education coupled with pharmacist-provided medication therapy management. OSDH provides support to allow CNHS to expand these initiatives into additional sites within Choctaw nation’s boundaries.
OSDH has partnered with FQHCs, Community Health Centers, and hospitals located in the prioritized counties. Partnerships include working with Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma County Extension Services to offer diabetes prevention and self-management programs in county extension offices across the state.
In addition, OSDH is working with Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy Rural Health Center, and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center’s College of Pharmacy on several projects.