Diabetes Continuum of Care: Using Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder Integration to Address Older Adults with Cognitive Impairments and Diabetes
This is the second webinar in the continuation of our Diabetes in Special & Vulnerable Populations: A National Learning Series. Diabetes affects more than 30 million people in the United States. Multi-tiered efforts to prevent, treat and manage diabetes are critical in reducing the burden of diabetes, particularly for medically underserved racial and ethnic minority populations. In addition to higher prevalence, ethnic and racial minority patients with diabetes have higher mortality and higher rates of diabetic complications.
Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals Serving Residents of Public Housing
Behavioral health services form a crucial part in providing quality health care services, particularly to populations of diverse cultural backgrounds living in public housing. Behavioral health services that adhere to cultural competency have shown to engender more positive health outcomes such as better adherence to medications and treatments, building trust between healthcare providers and their patients, and has contributed to the creation of more sustainable ways of providing care to patients overall.
To assist Public Housing Primary Care (PHPC) Health Centers grantees in increasing their capacity to provide quality behavioral health services to patients from diverse cultural backgrounds, NCHPH will be conducting a 5-part learning collaborative. This learning collaborative will focus in helping behavioral health professionals increase cultural and linguistic competency.
Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals 2022
In this learning collaborative we presented cultural competency as a data-driven method to improve patient care and health center performance in multiple domains through responsible application of scientifically validated tools and processes. Throughout the collaborative we took a detailed look at key concepts regarding culture as a SDOH. This includes an overview of the literature and key developments in the field. Additionally, we engaged in a collective and reflective approach of cultural competency as it pertains to clinical practice to develop our understanding of both our patient’s and our own cultural background. Finally, critically inspected and reviewed validated screening tools, explored their practical application in difficult situations and put them into action with volunteer patient actors.
Management, Education and Support, Nutrition, Physical Activity, Smoking Cessation, and Psychosocial Issues
Residents of public housing are particularly at risk of developing diabetes and diabetes-related complications due to the many social factors that impact their health. A recent HUD publication indicates that HUD-assisted adults have the highest prevalence of diabetes diagnosis, with 17.6% reporting ever having been told they had diabetes. During this session NCHPH explored ways to manage diabetes through programs that address education and support, nutrition, physical activity, smoking cessation, and psychosocial issues.
Violence and Opioid Abuse in Public Housing Communities
During this presentation, NCHPH highlighted the problems, solutions and opioid overdose training related to public housing residents. An overview of the likelihood of opioid abuse and the long-term effects on children due to violent experiences was provided in addition to a detailed description of the methodology behind NCHPH’s case study on Addressing Violence in Public Housing Communities. NCHPH also presented on case examples on what health centers are doing to mitigate the effects of violence and opioid abuse in public housing communities.