Printable PDF

Program Overview

The Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership, based in Dalton, Georgia and one of the first employer groups selected to participate in the Diabetes Ten City Challenge, has taken the lead in organizing the Diabetes Ten City Challenge in Northwest Georgia. After signing the contract for the program in September 2005, NGHP recruited four local employers to participate in the DTCC.

Progress to Date (as of March 1, 2009)  

Hamilton Health Care System: 107 patients enrolled, adding an estimated 2-3 per month. Hamilton offers participants from all DTCC employers access to its Diabetes Treatment Center and discounted memberships to its wellness facility

Dalton Utilities:         15 patients enrolled
City of Dalton:           18 patients enrolled
Whitfield County:      12 patients enrolled, assigned to four different pharmacies

Pharmacist Network

1. The pharmacist network to support this Diabetes Ten City Challenge program is coordinated by the Georgia Pharmacists Association
   
2. 12 independent and community pharmacists are participating in the program
   
3. Pharmacists meet participants at local pharmacies and workplace locations

1. The Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership, based in Dalton, GA (pop. 30,341), works in Whitfield County (pop. 84,000) and neighboring Murray County (pop. 36,000)
2. 12,000+ commute to Whitfield County daily
3. 50 percent of the jobs in Whitfield County are manufacturing, according to the Chamber of Commerce
4. 73,366 employees are in the two-county area*
5. 48 percent of companies there have 1,000+ employees*

Relevant Statistics

According to the 2007 U.S. Census:

1. Whitfield County is 30.2 percent Hispanic, compared to 7.8 percent in Georgia
2. Whitfield County has the largest per capita Hispanic population in Georgia
3. More than 65 percent of the students in the Dalton Public Schools are Hispanic
4. An influx of Latinos in Whitfield County to work in carpet manufacturing has challenged the community’s health care, education and housing

According to the American Diabetes Association:

1. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is 1.5 times higher in Latinos than non-Latino whites
2. Two million, or 8.2 percent, of all Latino Americans aged 20 years or older have diabetes
3. Approximately 24 percent of Mexican Americans in the United States, 26 percent of Puerto Ricans, and nearly 16 percent of Cuban Americans between the ages of 45-74 have diabetes

According to the National Institutes of Health:

1. 23.6 million people – 7.8 percent of the U.S. population – have diabetes.
2. 17.9 million people have been diagnosed and 5.7 million have not.
3. 1.6 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2007.
4. Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 2006.

About the Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership (www.nwgahealthpartners.org)

The Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership, a non-profit collaborative effort between health care providers, business, industry, payors, government, and educators, aims to improve the health of residents of Whitfield and Murray Counties through the efficient, effective and caring use of resources.  The Partnership’s greatest strength lies in the ability to convene, facilitate, and serve as a catalyst in addressing health care issues.  An impressive track record has been established in incubating projects, determining their value to the community, and locating permanent homes for them.  The Healthcare Partnership has successfully illustrated the benefits of promoting good health through Volunteers in Medicine & Dentistry, MedBank, CRITICAL Conditions, Promotores de Salud, and Working Well.

Quotable Quotes

Nancy Kennedy, Executive Director, Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership
 “We are thrilled with the progress in our community so far, including participation by so many pharmacists.  This is a different paradigm than what employees have been operating in with increasing costs for health insurance, different tiers and different drugs.  All of a sudden people are being told they can have these medications for free through this program and they wonder, “How can this be?” The employees really feel good that their employers care enough about them and their health to do that.  We know the bottom line for the employer is to curtail healthcare costs – it’s just a win-win situation.”

National Media Contacts:

Caren Kagan Evans
President and CEO
301-309-8487
caren@ecicommunications.com

Local Media Contact:

Nancy Kennedy
706-272-6663
nkennedy@hhcs.org