Update
  A Newsletter for the HHQI Underserved Populations (UP) Network                        April 2014
 
UPcoming Webinars
  
There will be one UP Network webinar during the last full week of April 2014. Click on the date of the session below to register.
  
  
  
Using Occupational Therapy to Optimize Outcomes 

 

  • Explain the relationship between daily activities and self-management of chronic conditions.
  • Identify and describe 6 strategies for using occupational therapy to improve clinical outcomes.
  • Evaluate occupational therapy care plans for relevance to health management and outcomes.

 

Speakers: Carol Siebert, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, Principal, The Home Remedy, an occupational therapy practice & Karen Vance, OTR/L, Supervising Consultant, BDK Health Care Group
  
Check out the UP Event Archives for previous webinars and teleconferences including: 
  • Everyone with Diabetes Counts: The Impact on Rural Southern West Virginia
  • UP from a Managed Care Perspective
  • Health Disparities among People with Disabilities
  • Managing by Data: CMS Casper Data Reports
  • Advice and Tips from Home Health Experts
  • Compulsive Hoarding for Care Managers
  • Community Mental Health on Wheels
  • And many more
  

 

UP News & Highlights

 

  

 

April is National Minority Health Month and the Office of Minority Health (OMH) is trying to raise awareness that health disparities continue to affect racial and ethnic minorities.  This year's theme, "Prevention is Power:  Taking Action for Health Equity," emphasizes the critical role of prevention in reducing health disparities.  It is a call to action, a charge for all of us to unite towards a common goal of improving the health of our communities.

 

"Everyone in America should have the chance to live a healthy life, regardless of who they are and where they live" (OMH).
    

Diabetes Facts:

  • 26 million children and adults in the U.S. have diabetes, and 25% (7 million) are unaware that they have diabetes
  • 1 in 3 American (79 million) adults have pre-diabetes, which puts them at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes
  • African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders are at greater risk than whites of developing diabetes, as are individuals with a family history of the disease
  • Adults that are undiagnosed with pre-diabetes and diabetes are denied the opportunity to treat, and potentially avoid, the onset and progression of diabetes and its complications

American Diabetes Association (2014). Diabetes Alert Day Factsheet.  Retrieved from http://main.diabetes.org/dorg/alert-day/alert-day-2014-fact-sheet.pdf and American Diabetes Association (2012). Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes - 2012. Diabetes Care, 35(Suppl.1), S11-S63.

 

Cardiovascular Disease Facts:

Alarming numbers of adults diagnosed with CVD annually in the U.S.:

  • 800,000 die from CVD
    • 7.9 million have a history of heart attack
    • 7 million have a history of stroke
    • 16 million have a diagnosis of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
  • CVD and CHD cause a financial burden in the U.S.:
    • Estimated annual cost (direct and indirect) in 2010 of CVD is $450 billion, including $109 billion for CHD and $54 billion for CVA

(George, Tong, Sonnenfeld, & Hong, 2012)

 

MEN
  •  Heart disease is #1 cause of death in U.S. (307,225 men in 2009)
  • 1 in 4 deaths
  • #1 cause of death for African Americans, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Hispanics, and whites
  • #2 cause of death for Asians or Pacific Islanders
WOMEN
  •  Heart disease is #1 cause of death in U.S. (292,188 women in 2009)
  • 1 in 4 deaths
  • Only 54% women recognize heart disease is their #1 killer
  • #1 cause of death for African Americans and whites
  • #1 cause of death tied with cancer for Hispanics
  • #2 cause of death for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Asians or Pacific Islanders

(CDC - Men & Heart Disease Fact Sheet, 2012; CDC - Women & Heart Disease Fact Sheet) 

  

 

Tools/Resources of the Month 


Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) Resources

 

The National Diabetes Education Program has a variety of publications and resources tailored for minority populations that you can use to support outreach efforts in your community:  

  

 

For more information or to suggest future UP topics or speakers, please contact us at [email protected].

  
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Click here for more information about the HHQI National Campaign.
  
 

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