Mississippi Health First is a collaborative initiative coordinated by Information & Quality Healthcare (IQH) that will provide medically underserved Medicare beneficiaries living with diabetes in Mississippi an opportunity to participate in free diabetes self-management education classes within their home communities.
Members of the collaborative will help motivate and educate diabetes patients across the state to take preventive action against some of the complications of diabetes, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Beneficiaries will receive eight hours of diabetes self=management education training in their home communities. in locations such as community centers, libraries and senior centers. Project team leaders and community health workers (CHW) will conduct diabetes self-management training classes utilizing the Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP). This model presents complex medical terms and concepts in a manner that is conducive to participant comprehension. These classes are designed to:
- Educate beneficiaries on how to best control their blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels;
- Empower beneficiaries to establish relationships with primary-care providers;
- Encourage better nutrition and regular exercise;
- Examine how housing arrangements for beneficiaries can affect their health;
- Express the importance of developing support networks of family, friends, and existing community-based social services.
