A recent study revealed that a good percentage of diabetic patients would rather die 10 years sooner than maintain a healthier diet and workout regimen. The reasons for their decision were that taking a variety of prescriptions or not being able to eat their favorite foods was too great an undertaking. Consequently, according to the study, diabetics would rather eat as they pleased, forego taking insulin shots and medications, and enjoy life as they had in the past, even though their lives may be shortened. The study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also revealed that for many diabetics the discomfort of treatments was as bad as the complications that could result from non-treatment.
Some experts say, however, that sentiments such as these can lead to depression.
“It’s a two-way street, and the combination of having an incurable, potentially life threatening disease that decreases quality of life, and that requires so much personal, emotional and financial investment to maintain health is overwhelming,” said Dr. Hugo Alvarez, Access Community Health Network Deputy Medical Officer. “These conditions can render patients hopeless about their conditions; and at the same time these feelings can lead to less adherence with treatment, diet, medications and follow up.”
Access Community Health Network and the Aetna Foundation are working together to address this issue. The Foundation has awarded ACCESS $25,000 to sponsor a program that looks at depression in patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes.
The irony of it is that with less attention to the condition, uncontrolled diabetes starts to take its toll over time, and this can compound complications, with patients losing even more hope, Dr. Alvarez sa
id.
“They feel that whatever investment they have made has been useless, and they find themselves only making half an effort.”
The Aetna Foundation grant will help ACCESS develop a program that incorporates culturally-appropriate depression screening and treatment as part of primary care treatment, so that depression can be treated and patients can remain committed to controlling their diabetes and avoid long term disabilities.
The aim of the program is to eliminate barriers for low-income patients, while helping to improve their mental and physical health.
ACCESS health centers in the Little Village and Des Plaines areas are part of the pilot program, because of the number of diabetics receiving care at these two locations. These health centers have culturally competent staffs to serve diverse populations.
"Reducing disparities in health care has always been an important issue for Aetna," said Martin R. Castro, Vice President of External Affairs for Aetna's Diverse Markets Strategy in Chicago, who oversaw the grant-making process. "We are pleased to fund ACCESS' effort to support the creation of medical homes for patients and build a model bilingual, bicultural program focused on the intersection of depression and diabetes. The American Dream is premised on a healthy community--we are pleased to do what we can to help make that dream a reality."
After the program is fully implemented, all 50 ACCESS locations will benefit, with more than 10,000 patients being screened for depression.
Access Community Health Network is comprised of 50 Joint Commission accredited community health centers throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs. It provides high quality, cost effective, safe, comprehensive primary and preventive health care to 200,000 individual patients annually, one-third of whom are uninsured. Visit the website at accesscommunityhealth.net.
For more information about ACCESS health centers or programs in your community,
please call Elaine Hegwood Bowen, Media Coordinator, at 773.257.6599; email: bowen@accesscommunityhealth.net or call the toll free number at 1.866.88.ACCESS.