ANN ARBOR, MICH. – Starting this year, the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM) will be able to expand the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) to reach more people in Michigan. With a $50,000 grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, the NKFM will be able to provide the DPP to those living in high risk communities throughout Michigan, primarily in Wayne County’s Inkster, Wayne, and Westland; and the greater Grand Rapids area. The two-year grant will allow Medicaid-eligible participants to access the CDC-certified lifestyle change program and demonstrate that sustainable payment for the DPP is an essential state strategy.
The NKFM will work with local health clinics and three health plans, including Blue Cross Complete, to inform providers about the DPP and enroll Medicaid and Medicaid-eligible participants in the program. The NKFM staff will also collaborate with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Diabetes and Kidney Section, the state, and Medicaid to educate policymakers.
Diabetes disproportionately affects some groups of people more than others, including African-Americans and Latinos. Without intervention, one-third of those with prediabetes will progress to type 2 diabetes within three years. Compounding the problem for many Michigan residents is that those most at risk for type 2 diabetes live in communities where a healthy diet is not accessible.
The NKFM has long worked to prevent kidney disease by focusing on preventing two of its most prevalent causes, diabetes and hypertension. The DPP is an evidence-based program that reduces the rate of progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.
“This project addresses the identified participant barriers of health literacy, lack of transportation, and food access,” states NKFM Vice President Charlene Cole. “The long-term goal is to have Medicaid fund the DPP so that all members who have prediabetes can access the program.”
