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Enterprise/MUSC Neighborhood Health Program:
A Partnership for Hypertension and Diabetes
Management and Education
Carolyn H. Jenkins, DrPH, MSN
College of Nursing
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Specific Aims:
- Increase public awareness of
hypertension and diabetes
- Link people with appropriate care
- Develop community-based
support
- Evaluate non-mydriatic cameras
- Evaluate cost
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| Community participants from 18
Neighborhood Associations from the
Enterprise Community in Charleston
identified hypertension (high blood
pressure) and diabetes as health problems
requiring action. The Enterprise Community
population is generally lower income and
largely African American, and diabetes and
hypertension affect a sizable portion of the
population. Dr. Jenkins and her colleagues
will work with members of the community
to improve how people find out they have
these diseases and how to live longer and
healthier lives with diabetes or
hypertension. The project aims to make the
public aware of risk factors (things that
make them more likely to have the disease),
primary preventive measures, early
diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes and
hypertension. People with risk factors will
be linked with appropriate medical care
providers. Specific efforts will address how
the individual, family, community, and
health care providers can work together to
manage these diseases through education,
health care, and prevention and reduction of
complications. Part of the program will
evaluate new methods of testing for and
treating vision complications and provision
of foot care in the community for patients
with diabetes. Finally, a measure of the
success of the community-based education
and disease management program will be a
decrease in the number of hospitalizations
and emergency room visits for preventable
complications of diabetes and hypertension. |
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