Aligning to Improve Outcomes: The Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes A presentation from a symposium at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Diabetes Translation's (DDT) 34th annual Diabetes Translation Conference on April 11-14, 2011 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1. “Mobilizing the faith community for
diabetes prevention and control”
Renee Frazier, FACHE, MHS
CEO Healthy Memphis Common Table
CDC Diabetes Translation Conference, April 2011
www.alliancefordiabetes.org

2. Mission and Vision
Mission
To Mobilize Greater
Memphis to
Achieve Excellent
Health For All
Adopted September 2009
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3. Background
 Who We Are…
• The only Regional Health Improvement and Health Care
Collaborative for Memphis and Shelby County
• We have a 17 Member Board which includes Business
Leaders, Doctors, Nurses, and other Professionals
• Started in 2003 as part of the leading organization for
shaping America’s Youth
◦ Focus on Diabetes and Childhood Obesity
Nonprofit, 501(c)3
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4. Background
 What We Do…
• Promote healthy lifestyle change
• Preventative care messaging to the general public
• Consumer friendly health and quality public reports
• Environmental policies which focus on health
www.healthymemphis.org
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5. Focus Area
 How We Define What We Do…
• Big “H” - Community Wide Health Improvement
◦ Focus on policy, environmental, and system changes
which improve the health of the entire community
◦ Individual behavior changes
• Little “h” - Health Care Quality and Delivery System Focus
◦ Focus is on public reporting, quality initiative, equity in
care, and care outcomes which impact individual health
◦ Individual behavior changes
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6. Diabetes for Life: Project Purpose
 The overarching purpose of the Diabetes for
Life (DFL) project is…
o To establish and institutionalize strategies
within Memphis Healthy Churches (MHC), and
medical community to control or reduce
associated conditions or complications from
diabetes, among the target African American
population

7. Statistics
 Shelby County Health Ranking
• Health Outcomes are the primary rating used to rank the overall
health of counties. The county ranked number 1 is considered the
healthiest county in the state
Source: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/tennessee 7

8. Statistics
 Shelby County Health Ranking
• Focus on Improving Health of Shelby County
◦ 906,000+ people in Shelby County
◦ 51% African American, 41% White, 8% Other
• CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Survey:
◦ Latest ratings has TN #3 in the Nation for Obesity:
Increases other health issues like diabetes, heart disease,
cancer, and hypertension; also increases healthcare cost
• Lifestyle issues which impact our health
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9. Statistics
Source: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDT_STRS2/CountyPrevalenceData.aspx?stateId=47&Mode=DBT

10. Statistics
 Diabetes in Memphis, TN
• The prevalence of diabetes in Shelby County has been
consistently higher than national averages, ranging between
9.1 and 9.5 percent compared to national rates of around
8.5 percent. In 2008, the number jumped to 11.9 percent
• Mortality rates for heart disease, stroke and diabetes among
African-Americans in Shelby County are significantly higher
than national rates

11. Statistics
 Diabetes in Memphis, TN
• In the 2007 Memphis Healthy Churches wellness survey,
72.6 percent of the survey respondents had BMIs above 25
(overweight/obese) and 41.6 percent had BMIs above 30
(obese)
• Tennessee residents in general, including those in Shelby
County, demonstrate high rates of various behavioral risk
factors that contribute to diabetes
• Obesity rates in Shelby County have exceeded national
averages for many years

12. The Role of the Faith Community
• Memphis Healthy Churches(MHC) is a 100 member
outreach program targeting African Americans at risk for
health disparities
• MHC offers training to lay volunteers at participating churches
to provide education and linkages to services for
congregation members at risk for developing diabetes and
related complications
• MHC serves as the primary resource for community outreach
and identification of eligible project participants

13. Strategies
• Evidence-based chronic disease self- management patient
education
• Access to diet and exercise programs
• Case management support for high needs patients
• Patient-centered communication provider education

14. Reneé Frazier
MHSA, FACHE
CEO
3175 Lenox Park Blvd,
Ste. 309
Memphis, TN 38115
901.273.2617
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15. Questions
Or
Comments…
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