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New Mexico organizations partner to address diabetes prevention and management for populations most affected
ALBUQUERQUE—The New Mexico Department of Health (DOH), Presbyterian Healthcare Services (Presbyterian) and The University of New Mexico’s Project ECHO are announcing new projects and programming that will expand access to resources to prevent and manage diabetes for many New Mexicans.
Data from the American Diabetes Association shows that from 2020-2022, an estimated 255,000 New Mexicans had diabetes and 587,000 people had prediabetes. Each year, 12,469 people in New Mexico are diagnosed with diabetes.
Each organization received 5-year funding through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to advance health equity for priority populations who have or are at risk for diabetes. In New Mexico, the populations disproportionately affected by diabetes are African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans.
CDC-Funded Diabetes Projects include:
- Department of Health: DOH will utilize funding to implement evidence-based diabetes prevention and management services through Paths to Health New Mexico: Tools for Healthier Living. Paths to Health programs are available statewide at no cost for eligible adults and include programs to manage, delay and prevent diabetes. A portion of the DOH funding from the CDC will center on addressing childhood obesity prevention, a new area of focus for the Department’s Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, which provides an opportunity to improve health outcomes for New Mexico’s youth and families.
- Presbyterian: Presbyterian will focus on local communities and counties with a high prevalence of diabetes. With its CDC funding, Presbyterian is expanding access to its Diabetes ReCHARGE program and Kitchen Creations, a program offered in partnership with New Mexico State University, for residents of Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Quay and Curry counties, all of which have higher rates of diabetes than the national average. Presbyterian will also continue building partnerships between health care delivery and social service organizations in Doña Ana and Otero counties and expanding workforce capacity and knowledge of diabetes management and prevention approaches statewide.
- Project ECHO will focus on local communities in the border region and in counties with a high prevalence of diabetes. Project ECHO-short for Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes--is a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to advancing health equity. By connecting specialists with primary care providers through virtual mentoring and case-based learning, ECHO is revolutionizing how health care is delivered in underserved and rural communities.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to bring this program to southern New Mexico along with support for new preventive and self-management education programs in the community for those who are at risk for, or currently living with, diabetes,” says Dr. Matt Bouchonville, Associate Director at Project ECHO and Director of the Endocrinology ECHO Program.
Project ECHO bridges the gap between limited resources and high-quality care, ensuring that patients receive the best possible treatment, regardless of their location or socio-economic status. A recent study showed that people with diabetes in rural New Mexico who are treated by ECHO-trained primary care providers experience improvements that were as good, or better, than those experienced by patients treated by diabetes specialists.
“As part of our emphasis on chronic disease management and prevention, Presbyterian has offered programs focused on helping people manage and learn about diabetes,” said Leigh Caswell, vice president, Community and Health Equity for Presbyterian. “Through the CDC funding, we look forward to working closely with community partners to bring these important programs to more communities across New Mexico.”
“The 5-year grant allows the New Mexico DOH, Presbyterian and Project ECHO to leverage resources, infrastructure and subject matter expertise to focus on the communities most impacted by diabetes while identifying and addressing social determinants of health (SDOH),” said Christine Brown, program manager for the DOH Diabetes Prevention and Control Program. “Reversing the trend of diabetes requires a team approach and the DOH looks forward to working together to address the diverse needs of New Mexico communities.”
On November 3, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a Proclamation honoring November as Diabetes Awareness Month and announcing the new 5-year partnership between DOH, Presbyterian and Project ECHO.
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