As November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and the Heart Network has always been a proponent of preventive care, we wanted to take the opportunity to talk about prediabetes. Especially now that the New York State Department of Health just released new data that shows prediabetes rates have more than doubled in the past 12 years.

Diabetes is a dangerous and often debilitating disease. If unchecked, 70% of people with prediabetes will go on to develop diabetes. However, prediabetes can also be perceived as an opportunity! Research has shown that a diagnosis of prediabetes along with counseling to make the necessary lifestyle changes is critical for the prevention of diabetes. Unfortunately, more than 80% of people with prediabetes don’t know that they have it. If you want to take a quick test to see if you are at risk, click here to visit Do I Have Prediabetes.

Here in the North Country, we need to do more to identify the rising-risk population and intervene. Therefore, we encourage our primary care partners to do regular A1C tests on all individuals at risk for developing diabetes. When a patient first tests positive for prediabetes, a nurse or their provider would ideally have a conversation with that patient about the severity of their condition. This is not the time to be gentle; it should be taken seriously. Additionally, the conversation with the at-risk patient should be empowering, letting the individual know that their day-to-day choices can be altered to change the trajectory of their health outcomes. Using motivational interviewing skills to help the patient want to do more for themselves is another tool the provider can use with patients who show apathy.

Currently, the Chronic Disease Care Coordination Network (CDCCN) has five pilot studies underway with primary care, cardiology, and behavioral health at different health organizations. The goal of these pilots is to increase referrals into chronic disease self-management programs, nutrition education programs and tobacco cessation programs, all of which encourage lifestyle change that mitigates the risk of complications due to chronic conditions like prediabetes. Referrals like these require a workflow that delegates who will have that conversation and when. This, in some cases, requires changing the culture within healthcare. Taking the time to have these conversations is not easy in the current climate. Kudos to the practices who are making this a priority.

Top of the list of programs that help people with prediabetes is the evidence-based program, created by the CDC, that helps people move more, lose weight, and eat to beat diabetes. It is called the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP or DPP). The Heart Network has been promoting this program for years, even before the Get Healthy North Country Community Integrated Network (GHNC) was formed. Unfortunately, since COVID, most organizations in our region have ceased to provide this fantastic program even though reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid has expanded.  

If your organization is interested in facilitating this program, the GHNC Network is ready to help you do just that. We provide the technical assistance and training needed to become a delivery organization. We provide promotional materials and support to fill your classes and more. Reach out if you want to talk about the possibilities. 

Starting in January, Get Healthy North Country will be offering two diabetes prevention programs. Be sure to visit our website by clicking the button below to share that information with your network. Together we can push back against the high rates of diabetes in the North Country.