C
hronic diseases such as
diabetes, asthma and
chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease require ongoing
care and often affect an individual’s
overall quality of life. Alliance
data indicates that 8% of Alliance
members (1 in 3 of which had some
form of hypertension, diabetes,
renal condition, coronary artery
disease or coronary heart failure),
were accountable for 75% of the
costs in 2010. Approximately 76%
of these members are adults in the
21–64 age group, and many of
them have co-existing conditions.
Often these conditions are best
managed or avoided through
prevention, a combination of
clinical services, health education,
counseling and community-
based interventions. Through the
Stanford
University’s
Chronic Disease
Self-Management
Program
implementation of the Alliance’s
CBIs, PCPs are addressing the
prevention and clinical management
of chronic conditions.
To complement our providers’
efforts, the Alliance Health Programs
team implemented a peer-to-
peer and evidence-based program
developed by Stanford University
called Chronic Disease Self-
Management Program (CDSMP).
The goal of CDSMP is to help
individuals who have a chronic
disease build the confidence to
manage their health and maintain
an active and fulfilling life. In the
workshops, participants work on
self-managing their disease through
an interactive learning environment,
sharing experiences with others who
have a chronic disease and providing
mutual support.
In April, two Alliance staff
members from the Health Programs
team were trained through
Stanford’s CDSMP to become
Master Trainers and facilitators of
CDSMP workshops. The CDSMP
workshops cover 17 hours of
material over a six-week period. The
workshops focus on problems that
are common to individuals suffering
from any chronic condition, such
as pain management, nutrition,
physical activity, medication usage
and communicating with doctors.
Each workshop is about 2.5 hours
long with 15–20 participants.
The workshops take place in
community-based settings like
community centers, senior centers,
churches, community health
clinics and libraries. Workshops are
currently conducted in English and
will soon be available in Spanish.
In July, two additional Health
Programs staff members from
Merced trained to become CDSMP
leaders to facilitate workshops
for the Merced County region.
In September, Alliance Master
Trainers began facilitating their
first-ever CDSMP workshop.
For these workshops, the
Alliance identified members with
a chronic condition through
our claims database and invited
members to participate. Alliance
Health Programs staff reached
out to these same members by
phone. An introductory session
was held to provide interested
participants with an overview of
CDSMP workshops. Members
that expressed interest after
the introductory session were
enrolled in the workshop.
Reminder calls were made
prior to the first workshop
to ensure participation in the
program. Participants who
took the class received a book
titled
Living a Healthy Life With
Chronic Conditions
and an audio
CD called “Relaxation for Mind
and Body” to assist in their disease
self-management. Members
who completed each weekly
session as part of the six-week
workshop received a $25 gift card
from the Alliance. The Alliance
plans to continue facilitating
CDSMP workshops in all three
counties, including CDSMP
Leader trainings. CDSMP Master
Trainers can train community
members, community-based
organization staff and community
health clinic staff to become
CDSMP Leaders. These leaders
will be able to facilitate CDSMP
workshops within the community.
For more information on
CDSMP, please contact Javier
Carrillo, Health Programs
Manager, at
(831) 430-5595
.
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