Alameda County Diabetes Disparities Reduction Initiative

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

In July 2017, the Alameda County Diabetes Disparities Reduction Initiative (ACDDRI) is a collaboration of the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD), the Alameda Alliance for Health (the major Medicaid managed care plan in the county), two neighborhood-based clinics, and the University of California, Berkeley, to transform diabetes care and management. From decades of research, we know that medical interventions alone are not enough to reduce diabetes rates or prevent diabetes-related complications. Patients need a range of supports to understand their disease and how diet and exercise influence health; to overcome social and economic barriers to needed behavior changes; and to communicate with their care teams more effectively. Short-term diabetes education classes may increase patients’ knowledge, but without additional supports to translate that knowledge into action, many will not be able to make real changes that result in improved health outcomes. ACDDRI’s comprehensive model of care aims to offer participants the full range of support they need to address the medical and social determinants of health. To this end, ACDDRI focuses on reducing health disparities in diabetes rates and acuity within the county’s African-American and Latinx communities, concentrating on two of our most underserved and under-resourced communities.