Ninth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

One in three Americans has prediabetes, and 90% of those who have this condition do not know it. One in seven Americans has diabetes (14% of the U.S. adult population); 10% know it, and 4% are undiagnosed according to recent CDC data. To prevent diabetes and increase the equal access to health care screening, Touro University California in Solano County California has created and implemented a community outreach program: Mobile Diabetes Education Center (MOBEC). This is a community effort with Sutter Health, Solano County Department of Public Health and others to enhance health literacy in at-risk and homeless populations. With the belief that an increased percentage of the homeless and at-risk populations can be screened for prediabetes/diabetes, MOBEC has been taking the care/screening/education to them. Our screening procedure includes asking residents to complete the CDC Prediabetes Screening Test; performing a fingerstick test if their screening score is 9 or above; obtaining a hemoglobin A1c if the glucose level is within the prediabetes/diabetes range. The outcomes of this program are: to identify those who have the condition; to enroll those who have the condition to either the Diabetes Prevention Program or the Diabetes Education and Empowerment Program. Solano County residents have returned to MOBEC for screenings and/or additional education, and an increased number of community partners has asked MOBEC to attend community health events. Although MOBEC is still in its early phase, the data collected have shown the effectiveness of this concept.