As a step toward equalizing health care accessibility, the University of Florida Diabetes Institute in conjunction with Stanford University will apply a $1.6 million grant to identifying tactics for reaching underserved Type 1 diabetes patients, a UF Health release said.
The 18-month pilot funding period from The Leona M. & Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust will allow researchers to determine the best outreach and education approaches. The support will enable Dr. Michael Haller, a UF College of Medicine pediatric endocrinologist; UF Diabetes Institute Health Equity Initiatives Director Ashby Walker; and colleagues at Stanford to reach patients lacking specialized care.
Haller said while lower-income or rural residents may be able to acquire insulin, they often fall short in case management oversight, adding that periodic specialist visits are advised, according to the release. The grant funds will be allocated to underserved California and Florida patients, he said in the release, and practitioners will obtain virtual training and tele-education from “hubs” located at UF and Stanford.
“Many people are living with very bare-bones support for their diabetes management,” Haller said in the release. “We want to … empower primary care doctors to provide more meaningful diabetes care for their patients. Given the shortage of endocrinologists and the need to increase access, the ultimate goal of this effort is to ensure better access to diabetes care for everyone living with Type 1 diabetes.”
