Valley Receives National Grant to Innovate Ways to Address Prediabetes in High-Risk Populations

Valley Medical Center has received a $33,500 grant from the American College of Preventive Medicine in conjunction with the American Medical Association and the Black Women's Health Imperative to build capacity to screen, test and refer disparate populations with prediabetes. Valley will partner with the YMCA of Greater Seattle to identify new approaches to address prediabetes in populations at high risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes, including African American and Hispanic women. Specifically, we will test and evaluate innovative approaches to:

• Screen and test patients from the targeted population at high-risk for prediabetes and refer these patients to a CDC-recognized type 2 diabetes prevention program

• Engage patients from the targeted population to enroll in the program and support the YMCA's CDC-recognized diabetes prevention program in retaining participants for the duration of the program to achieve program goals

• Address social determinants of health that serve as barriers to enrollment and retention in the program

• Collect and report data on process and outcome measures relevant to experiences of the targeted population in achieving goals and assess the impact of interventions taken

Valley was one of only three healthcare organizations nationally to receive this award. According to Julie Osgood, DrPH, Vice President of the Clinic Network, "The Kent Primary Care clinic has been working with the YMCA since last year to identify ways to partner to improve the health status of the communities we serve. With the new Kent YMCA set to open this fall, we have been in an active planning phase to do exactly this kind of work. Ultimately, we hope to identify systems and processes that are scalable for the clinic network. We would like everyone who is at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes to have access to an evidence-based prevention program." Sally Sundar, MA, YMCA Program Executive—Health Integration and Transformation agrees, "We are excited to work with Valley to find innovative ways to help people prevent the health, financial and quality of life consequences associated with Type 2 diabetes."

Phil Chan, MD, Associate Medical Director of Population Health and Kent Primary Care Medical Director and Maria Cook, Clinic Manager, will serve as local champions to get the work underway. "Moving forward, we would like to use this project to develop more intentional methods for screening and identifying patients from the target population at the point of care to connect them to culturally-appropriate resources and engage them in prevention services," says Dr. Chan.

A four-month planning period began on April 1 and the first year of implementation will begin this summer. We will have the opportunity to renew funding for up to two additional years. Kim Herner, MD, Chief Quality Officer, will serve as the grant's Principal Investigator. "We will use the planning period to collect baseline data, shore up our project workplan, and involve key stakeholders in preparing for implementation. Valley has many capabilities that will help us succeed in this endeavor," says Dr. Herner.

If you have questions or interest in this project, please contact Julie Osgood at Julie_Osgood@valleymed.org or by phone at 425.228.3440, ext. 3377.

Valley’s Neuroscience Institute Again Achieves Highest National Level 4 Epilepsy Center Accreditation for 2019-2020

Valley's Neuroscience Institute's Epilepsy Clinic has again earned a two-year accreditation for 2019 - 2020 as a Level 4 epilepsy center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. Level 4 epilepsy centers such as Valley's Epilepsy Clinic, provide the highest level of care to people with epilepsy and other seizure disorders.

As a Level 4 epilepsy center, Valley provides a patient-oriented team of providers, including:

• Neurologists with expertise in treating seizures
• Neurosurgeons
• Neuropsychologists
• Nurse specialists
• EEG technologists
• Social workers
• Others with training and experience in epilepsy care

Specialized Level 4 epilepsy centers like ours provide routine care to individuals with seizures or epilepsy, and specialize in providing comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services to individuals with uncontrolled seizures (i.e., intractable or refractory epilepsy). Level 4 centers also offer a complete evaluation for epilepsy surgery, including intracranial electrodes and a broad range of surgical procedures for epilepsy. Learn more at NAEC.org.

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