DREAM Team Updates June 2024

DREAM Team Updates

June 2024

MOBILE DIABETES EDUCATION CENTER - MOBEC

SERVING SOLANO COUNTY

The MOBEC Team continues to partner with neighborhood faith-based organizations, food distribution sites, senior housing complexes, schools, libraries, and other public events/locations to provide much-needed prediabetes and diabetes awareness services and one-on-one self-management diabetes education to our community members in Solano County. One hundred and ninety people received blood glucose and/or blood pressure screenings through MOBEC services between December 2023 and May 2024. Of those, 12.5% of the people screened were found to have blood glucose above the normal range (people with no previous diagnosis of prediabetes or diabetes).

Avneet Nijjar, MOBEC student liaison, joined our MOBEC team along with Ann Dang to help coordinate student volunteers and additional MOBEC projects. The ADCES (Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialist) Student Community at TUC has been assisting MOBEC in planning exciting new services for our participants. Stay tuned to learn about these new services in the next newsletter update.

Check our Events section to find out where and when MOBEC will be on the road at tu.edu/mobec. TUC students are encouraged to participate in our community visits. Sign up to volunteer on MOBEC at www.wejoinin.com/sheets/tpaiw.

NATIONAL DPP LIFESTYLE CHANGE PROGRAM

WORKING TO PREVENT DIABETES

A lifestyle change is often easier said than done and our National Diabetes Prevention Program is here to help one step at a time! TUC is a partner organization of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a CDC-recognized lifestyle change program to help people with prediabetes. Since 2015, many TUC students have become DPP coaches to facilitate engaging lectures and active discussions around balanced eating, physical activity, stress management, and self-motivation. The one-year program empowers community members to take charge of their health and reverse their diagnosis of prediabetes! In March 2024, the DREAM Team started a new DPP Lifestyle Change Program cohort, our first in-person group since the pandemic. This cohort is being held at the Florence Douglas Center in Vallejo. With this new cohort, we welcome an experienced lifestyle coach, Rochelle Silverman, to lead the group towards improved lifestyle habits to prevent diabetes. We continue inviting trained students to be lifestyle coaches to assist in the cohorts.

Additionally, our new partner, The Skinny Gene Foundation, has been assisting us in managing the registration details, guiding us one step closer to receiving reimbursements for running this program. To volunteer as a student coach, and for community members who are ready to have a healthier, better tomorrow, please contact our team at (707) 638-5970 or tuc.mobec@tu.edu.

SUCCESS WITH DIABETES

DIABETES EDUCATION PROJECT

What looks like a group of people playing bingo or Jeopardy are TUC students and community members enjoying a Success with Diabetes class! Success with Diabetes is an engaging six-session program designed to help people with type 2 diabetes understand their condition and provide tools to manage their diabetes successfully. Participants learn about various aspects of healthy living, including stress management, nutrition, medications, and more. In the last few months, we offered two in-person cohorts in Vacaville at the Family Health Services Clinic and at the Autumn Leaves Senior Apartments. The first location hosted the session in Spanish, and at the second location a Spanish-speaking coach was available to translate for those who needed it. Success with Diabetes has been an exciting year so far, having three TUC student coaches (all of them fluent in Spanish) and twenty-two enrolled participants. For community members ready to tackle diabetes or students interested in our mission, please contact our team at (707) 638-5970 or tuc.mobec@tu.edu.

PHARM2HOME

PROMOTING HEALTH EQUITY IN SOLANO COUNTY

BRIDGING GAPS IN CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT

The Pharm2Home Initiative, led by clinical pharmacists, aims to bridge the gaps between clinical appointments for residents of Solano County. Recognizing the challenges posed by social determinants of health, the program offers individualized education and care coordination to meet participants' needs. As of April 2024, the Clinic Arm of the Initiative has received over 200 referrals and served over 150 participants. In addition, the team has prevented over 80 unscheduled hospital/emergency room or clinic visits due to hypoglycemic events.

POSITIVE PARTICIPANTS FEEDBACK

Integrating clinical pharmacists into an inter-professional team has been a transformative experience, thanks to the invaluable feedback from our participants. We are deeply grateful for their openness and willingness to share, which has led to an enhanced understanding of their chronic conditions, medication usage, and adjusted therapies. Their feedback is the driving force behind our continuous improvement.

EXPANDING OUTREACH TO SENIOR FACILITIES

Recognizing the importance of community involvement, the Pharm2Home Team continues to expand its outreach. We deliver services to senior resident facilities, offering individualized medication therapy management and chronic disease education. Our Community Health Arm continues to expand by connecting with more senior resident facilities throughout Solano County.

SUPPORTED BY SUTTER HEALTH, KAISER PERMANENTE, AND SOLANO COUNTY FAMILY HEALTH SERVICES

The Pharm2Home Initiative is a testament to the power of collaboration. It is not just a standalone effort but a joint endeavor, made possible by the unwavering support and funding from our esteemed partners, Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente, and Solano County Family Health Services. Their continued support, including another year of support from Sutter Health, is instrumental in ensuring the initiative's continuity, promoting health equity, and improving chronic disease management in the Solano County community.

NATIONAL DPP LIFESTYLE COACH TRAINING

BECOME A LIFESTYLE COACH

Our National DPP (Diabetes Prevention Program) Lifestyle Coach Training Program continues to offer training in a virtual setting. Thirty-eight coaches were trained between January and May 2024 by the Touro University California National DPP Lifestyle Coach Training Team. It may seem enduring to attend a training for 12 hours via Zoom over two or three days; however, this training effectively engages attendees in interactive sessions. Prospective Lifestyle Coaches participate in Zoom breakout rooms with peers in small groups. Hands-on activities utilizing coaching skills and practicing to lead group sessions allow coaches to gain confidence in leading a group of individuals toward making meaningful lifestyle changes. To learn more about TUC’s National DPP Lifestyle Coach Training Program, please visit diabetesprevention.tu.edu to register. One elective course credit is available to TUC COM and COP students.

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF DIABETOLOGY SECOND ANNUAL CONFERENCE

ADVANCING THE FIELD OF DIABETOLOGY

The American College of Diabetology held its second annual diabetes conference in Napa, California on April 18th and 19th 2024. This meeting hosted some of the nation's leading diabetes experts to discuss topics such as the prevention of type 1 diabetes, prevention of type 2 diabetes, use of technology to prevent hyperglycemia, assistance in exercise in those with diabetes, and in pregnancy. Day two highlighted some of the latest findings on glucose management and the prevention of diabetes complications including MASLD (Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease, formerly known as NAFLD), kidney disease, and obesity. The keynote lecture by Frank Schwartz, MD, highlighted the experience of the Joslin Diabetes Center’s medalist program population, which has had type 1 diabetes for more than 75 years without complications. His lecture focused on the continuing effort to identify those factors that prevent complications in people with diabetes. More than 100 people were in attendance at this conference. Another highlight was the technology lab in which attendees were able to have a hands-on experience with insulin pumps and tools that help with glycemic interpretation and management, and the use of a Fibroscan in high-risk patients.

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF DIABETOLOGY UPDATE

Our readers will be the first to hear that the American College of Diabetology will offer free membership for health professional students and residents through the end of 2025. Helping to train the next generation of diabetologists (DO, PharmD, PA, NP, MD) is an important part of the mission of the ACD. Click the link below to sign up: https://www.acdiabetology.org/membership

CONGRATULATIONS TO ANNE LEE:

2024 IMPACT ON DIABETES AWARD WINNER!

We are thrilled to announce that Anne Lee, RDN, MEd, CDCES, has been honored with the 2024 Impact on Diabetes Award by the ADCES California Coordinating Body. Anne's remarkable dedication as a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) and her innovative approach to diabetes care have significantly improved the lives of many.

As the Diabetes Program Manager at Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine, Anne's leadership in the Mobile Diabetes Education Center (MOBEC) has expanded essential diabetes education and screening services to underserved communities. Her work as a Master Trainer for the National Diabetes Prevention Program has empowered numerous healthcare professionals with the skills needed to combat diabetes effectively.

Anne’s commitment extends beyond program management; her educational outreach and empathetic patient care have made a profound impact. From organizing community events like the "Fruit and Veggie Fest" to delivering practical advice through lectures and workshops, Anne continues to be a beacon of hope and inspiration in the diabetes care community.

CONGRATS TO SARAH DUDENHOEFFER, DO

For successfully completing TUC's comprehensive one-year Diabetology Fellowship program.

It has been a pleasure for the DREAM Team to work with Dr. Dudenhoeffer during her fellowship training. We hope the deeper and more extensive knowledge and understanding of diabetes gained during her training will support her in all future professional endeavors.

CONGRATS TO BORIS STAR, PHARM D

For the completion of TUC's one-year Pharm2Home Pharmacy Residency program.

We celebrate Dr. Star's accomplishments during his residency training. We hope the uniqueness of this program - working in an inter-professional environment, receiving ambulatory diabetes management and care training as well as public health experience will provide him with the tools to advance in his future professional pursuits.

Newsletter Credits

Editor: Sumera Ahmed, MD

Designer: Maryelli Ray