Centers for Healthy Hearts and Souls
Forever Young

Description:  The program provides safe, free and accessible diabetes support group educational experiences for African American seniors.  Program activities include nutrition education, a healthy snack, ongoing telephone contact, interaction with primary care and resident physicians, participant action steps and monitoring and assessment of blood glucose.  United Way funds will be used to support three diabetes programs in East End, inclusive of Homewood, East Liberty, Penn Hills, Wilkinsburg, and Point Breeze, (2), and the Northside (1).

The Program Serves a Population with Great Needs:  The program partners with 65 churches to serve African American communities (see above).  Of the roughly 16,000 African American seniors living in the Pittsburgh area, over 15% have known diabetes and another 15% have latent diabetes.  Seniors with chronic diseases are at greater risk of institutionalization.

The Program Achieves Measurable Results: The health outcomes show that participating in the program has about the same effect as taking a beginning dose of a pill for diabetes.  Participants also report behavior change and increased knowledge related to their diabetes; nearly 90% of members have achieved improvement in one of the physiological areas. 

The Program Applies a Sound Approach:  The program adheres to evidence-based best practices around culturally appropriate diabetes support and education groups, which is evidenced in the agency’s program activities, food choices, and recruitment efforts. 

Alignment with Preferred Outcomes and Likelihood of Community Change:

• Remain safely in home/least restrictive community setting (80 of 100, or 80%)
• Adequate/improved nutritional, health, and/or functional status (80 of 100, or 80%)

Community Outcomes: The program reinforces the need and efficacy of culturally-appropriate medical care and builds community capacity by employing members from the communities CHHS serves.  Additionally, the program will continue to advocate with health insurance plans to pay for these services long-term.