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Program Overview

Two municipal government entities in the Tampa Bay area, the Manatee County Government and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, are offering the Diabetes Ten City Challenge to their more than 14,000 insured employees and dependents. 

Manatee County Government

1. Participation in the DTCC is being offered to approximately 7,600 employees and dependents insured through Manatee County’s Manatee Choice Health Plan 
2. Enrollment to date (as of November 2006) is 91 participants
3. Participants who meet regularly with a pharmacist as prescribed by the program have co-pays waived by their employer for diabetes medications and supplies
4. Participants who stay current on diabetes indicators such as A1C, lipid test, eye exams and foot exams will receive additional incentives according to their Health Benefits Plan Program
5. Participating pharmacists from the County’s preferred pharmacy provider network ( Medical Arts, Foster Drugs, Pelots, and Sweetbay Supermarket pharmacists) meet with patients to track their condition and provide education on diabetes
6. Pharmacists are specially trained and certified in diabetes care
   Additional resources available to participating patients include a diabetes nurse, Certified Diabetes Educators, dietitians, lifestyle coaches and a local endocrinologist

Pinellas County Sheriff's Office

1. Participation in the DTCC is being offered to the nearly 7,000 employees and dependents covered by the Sheriff’s Office health insurance plan, including approximately 500 retirees
2. Enrollment to date (as of November 15, 2006) is 73 participants
3. Volunteers who participate in the program meet with pharmacists in a network that was trained and organized by the Florida Pharmacy Association
4. The program is part of the Sheriff’s Office all-encompassing wellness program that combines fitness and disease management      

About Tampa Bay

Population: 3,997,975
Households: 1,563,577
Total Personal Income: $124.1 billion

Relevant Statistics

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control:

1. 8.1 percent of Florida adults were diagnosed with diabetes in 2004, compared to 5.0 percent in 1994
2. 15 percent of Florida’s population between ages 65 and 74 has diabetes
3. Each year, 200,000 people die of complications from diabetes, and an additional 100,000 are affected by blindness, kidney failure, heart disease and problems of the lower extremities, including amputations

According to the American Diabetes Association and 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.

Quotable Quotes

Bob Goodman, Health Benefits Manager, Manatee County
"The advantage of the DTCC is that we are getting more health care professionals involved in the care of our members, including pharmacists, dietitians, physicians and a local endocrinologist. We have found that people-to-people interaction is far superior than speaking by telephone - for individuals to talk to a professional such as a pharmacist gives the program much more credibility."

Jim Coats, Sheriff, Pinellas County:
"We are pleased to offer the Diabetes Ten City Challenge as part of an all-encompassing wellness program for our employees, retirees and their families. This program is made possible with the support of many partners, including the American Pharmacists Association Foundation, our local pharmacists, and several local health and fitness organizations with whom we have partnered to provide access to wellness centers and fitness facilities for our participants in this project."

National Media Contacts:

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