PROVIDENCE, RI -- In an effort to improve health outcomes and reduce the impact of diabetes and heart disease in Rhode Island, U.S. Senator Jack Reed today announced $1.5 million in federal funding for the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke (RIDHDS) Program.  The funding is being awarded through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Innovative State and Local Public Health Strategies to Prevent and Manage Diabetes and Heart Disease and Stroke Program.

RIDHDS will use the federal funds to step up existing efforts to prevent heart disease, diabetes, and stroke by working with community and health partners to support Rhode Islanders’ efforts to lead healthier lives.  This includes preventing and better managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes through improved diet and exercise.  Additionally, this funding will allow for the expansion of infrastructure for Health Equity Zones to eliminate health disparities.  There are currently 10 Health Equity Zones throughout Rhode Island, which allow communities to identify their most pressing health challenges in their neighborhoods and develop interventions and solutions to address those issues.

Diabetes affects 30 million children and adults in the United States, and another 84 million Americans are estimated to have prediabetes, a condition that progresses to diabetes if not treated within five years.  RIDOH estimates that 79,300 Rhode Island adults know they have diabetes and another 24,800 people in Rhode Island don’t know they have it.  Additionally, 311,200 Rhode Islanders are at risk for developing diabetes due to their weight, physical activity, and age profiles.

Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes cases, can cause major complications including lower limb amputation, late-stage kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and even death from high blood sugar.  According to the CDC, type 2 diabetes may be reversible with diet and lifestyle changes, but one in four people with the disease doesn't know he or she has it.

According to a 2018 report by the American Diabetes Association, the estimated total costs of the disease is $327 billion annually, including $237 billion in direct medical costs and $90 billion in reduced productivity.

“The societal and economic cost of diabetes and heart disease is staggering and will cripple our health system unless we take proactive steps to tackle this challenge in a comprehensive manner.  This federal funding will allow RIDOH to expand their reach and connect people in need to community-based programs and resources to prevent diabetes and heart disease before the conditions worsen.  I commend the Rhode Island Department of Health for being out front and adopting innovative strategies to help reverse the prevalence of diabetes and heart disease.  By focusing on prevention and helping patients control diabetes and heart health, it helps them lead healthier lives, reduces the risk for health complications, and saves taxpayers in the long run,” said Senator Reed, who sent a letter to the CDC in support of the state’s grant application.

The RIDHDS Program will include measures to advance the CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) by:

  • Offering Diabetes Prevention Program workshops statewide through the Community Health Network, with a focus on underserved and high-burden areas. RIDOH will be exploring and testing innovative ways to eliminate barriers to participation and retention in the National DPP lifestyle change program for people with prediabetes and diabetes self-management education and support services (DSMES) for people with diabetes.
  • Working closely with federally-qualified health centers, free clinics, and other primary care practices to improve healthcare quality, including the diagnosis and treatment of prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.  This includes the inclusion of community health workers as part of the care team to increase patient access to community-based resources.

Learn more about RIDOH’s Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program here.