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MU Program to Improve Rural Diabetes Care Diet, exercise, and medical care play a vital role in helping the nearly 300,000 Missourians affected with diabetes manage the disease, yet treatment and education options are often limited for rural Missourians. The University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine is developing a program to assist those rural diabetes patients through a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH). The program is one of eight funded under the MFH’s new priority area grant effort titled “Better Self-Management of Diabetes,” which encourages development of programs that provide high quality care for individuals with this chronic disease. The $1.3 million grant will help MU researchers study diabetes self-management in Howard and Callaway counties. The three-year project began Jan. 1, 2007.
Studies show the prevalence of diabetes is 17 percent higher in rural communities than in cities. Rural diabetes patients often face social and economical obstacles to receiving care. Medical facilities lack formal systems to support self-management of diabetes, while patients find fewer physicians and must travel longer distances to receive treatment. The MU School of Medicine study will take a community partnership approach to working with those with diabetes. Grant money will be used to support diabetes care and self-management, mobilize available resources and recruit new partners. A team of community and health care leaders will encourage patient participation through nutritional seminars, exercise activities, support groups and goal-oriented classes designed to improve health outcomes. “At the end, we want to hear stories of how this program has made a difference and helped change lives in terms of diet, exercise, weight-loss and self-confidence,” said LeMaster. The study will also assist rural medical clinics in establishing self-management support for diabetes patents. A computerized data entry system will support patient registries and help health care providers track clinical health outcomes, such as glucose levels, blood pressure and cholesterol readings, and remind patients of needed preventive exams. “We want to see a sustainable approach to supporting diabetes self-care in these communities today and in the future,” said LeMaster. Funding for this project was provided in whole by the Missouri Foundation for Health. The Missouri Foundation for Health is a philanthropic organization whose vision is to improve the health of the people in the communities it serves. MU’s School of Medicine has improved health, education, research and the economy in Missouri for more than 160 years. MU physicians treat patients from every county in the state, and MU is the primary provider of training for all physicians in Missouri. The School of Medicine’s 450 faculty physicians and scientists educate 950 students, residents and fellows. Their research is focused on lifesaving discoveries that address the most prevalent health problems. Patient care and medical innovations at MU also generate new jobs, commercial products and companies in Missouri. |
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“With this grant, we want to apply what we are doing in our academic practices here in Columbia to rural practices and improve clinical and self-care for diabetes patients,” said 
