Diabetes HELP

The following information is listed for historical purposes only. It will not be updated.

 

The Diabetes HELP program improves the health and quality of life of Louisiana Medicaid recipients diagnosed with diabetes by:

  • Providing quality education and support via a diabetes self-management education program; and
  • Improving collaboration of care among patients, pharmacists, physicians, and other members of the health care team. 

Participants in the Diabetes HELP program are taught diabetes self-management skills in small group settings. They are also given the opportunity to discuss their diabetes with licensed pharmacists and other program participants. The Diabetes HELP program does not replace regular physician care, but offers patient education on how to handle the disease. Educational sessions cover topics such as:

  • Overview of diabetes
  • Coping skills
  • Nutrition and diet
  • Physical activity
  • Signs and symptoms of altered blood sugar
  • Long-term complications
  • Medication review

The infrastructure of the Diabetes HELP program was developed using the framework created by the Diabetes Initiative, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and focuses on the need to support self-management.

For more information on the Diabetes HELP program call: 1.866.762.2404.

Diabetes in Louisiana

  • Approximately 274,000 adults, or seven percent of adults, in Louisiana have been diagnosed with diabetes (BRFSS, 2004).
  • As of 2003, Louisiana had the highest death rate due to diabetes (40.8 per 100,000) of all the other U.S. states. The national death rate due to diabetes is 25.3 per 100,000. (Source: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital Statistics, National Vital Statistics Report Volume 54, Number 13, April 19, 2006, Table 29)
  • In 2001, the total cost of hospital discharges for people with diabetes in Louisiana was approximately $1.5 billion dollars (LAHIDD, 2001).
  • Diabetes is a chronic disease that incurs significant health, disability, and financial cost in Louisiana.

See publications from the Medicaid Pharmacy Benefits Managment Program on Diabetes HELP!