If you knew that you were on course to be seriously ill in 10-15 years but could dramatically lessen your chances, would you?
One out of five Americans today potentially face that question when diagnosed with diabetes.
If caught early and addressed, most will live normal, healthy lives.
If not, the scenario can be grim, including loss of limbs, blindness, strokes, heart and kidney failure, etc.
The rise in the number of diabetic cases can be attributed to the increased rates of obesity, which can cause type 2 diabetes.
“It’s syndemic,” said Becky French, meaning obesity and diabetes are conflating into a health crisis.
French is a diabetic specialist with the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas in Iola.
Her career spans 41 years; she’s been with CHC/SEK for four months.
French works in tandem with pharmacist Jennelle Knight and Amber Findley, a diabetic health coach.
The trio’s goals are to stem the rise of diabetes with an all-hands-on-deck approach. Their efforts are being closely watched by CHC/SEK administrators to see if they should be replicated in its clinics elsewhere.
“This is a pilot program,” said Knight, who proposed the idea that went into effect six months ago.
It’s a big ask, she admits.
The story behind Knight’s motive is that her grandmother suffered from type 2 diabetes.
“That’s why I became a pharmacist,” she said. “Watching her struggle to manage her medications spurred me to think it was something I could do to help others.”
“They lived in Tarkio, a small town in northwest Missouri. She didn’t get the healthcare she deserved. There was one primary care provider for the whole county,” she said. “She was never told she was pre-diabetic. She was pretty far along in her disease before she was diagnosed.”
