CVS Health Foundation's $500,000 grant will help bridge critical gaps in care navigation for the New York City community

ARLINGTON, Va., July 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Diabetes Association® (ADA) and the CVS Health Foundation have joined forces in a new collaboration that focuses on improving maternal health outcomes and addressing the gaps in care navigation for women with gestational diabetes (GDM) in New York City.

The new $500,000 funding from the CVS Health Foundation will bolster maternal health services for organizations that are a part of the ADA's Women's Health Initiative, like the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, to support their patients in Brooklyn and Queens. Ralph Ruggiero, MD, FACOG, FACS, chairman and residency program director, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, shared, "We are excited about participating in this next phase of the ADA's Women's Health Initiative, supported by the CVS Health Foundation, where we will focus our work on strengthening prenatal screening and referral for the people we serve who are at high risk for or have been diagnosed with GDM. This program will also enable our community health workers and doulas to reach deeper into our community to support patient navigation and promote the importance of postpartum screenings and treatment."

Approximately 50% of women diagnosed with GDM with go on to develop type 2 diabetes. The new funding from the CVS Health Foundation will enable the ADA to expand its programming with health care systems in New York City to improve outcomes. As part of this project, ADA has also engaged the support of the Clinical Directors Network, Inc. (CDN). CDN is a New York-based not-for-profit clinician membership organization, practice-based research network (PBRN), and clinician training organization, founded to provide peer-initiated activities for clinicians practicing in low income, minority, and other underserved communities. This expansion will include increasing access to early GDM screenings and follow-up care and screenings, simplifying the complex care navigation process through a robust referral system, and strengthening the workforce supporting this effort, including community health workers and doulas.

"While gestational diabetes affects up to 9% of pregnancies in the U.S., its incidence and impacts are not distributed equally," said Charles "Chuck" Henderson, chief executive officer of the ADA. "The collaboration with the CVS Health Foundation opens the door for additional screening, education, and outreach to improve outcomes for women with gestational diabetes, particularly women of color, both prenatal and postnatal."

Mothers with GDM have a higher risk during pregnancy of high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, and postpartum hemorrhage, and have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (8- to 10 times the risk compared to women without GDM) after pregnancy. In America, Black and Hispanic women are up to two times more likely than white women to have GDM and to experience associated pregnancy or postpartum complications.

"Our unwavering commitment to women's health is the driving force behind our efforts to support organizations working to ensure equitable access to maternal health services in our communities," said Sheryl Burke, senior vice president of corporate social responsibility and chief sustainability officer at CVS Health. "Through our collaboration with the ADA and the health care providers within the program, we will significantly increase access to maternal health services and educational resources for the New York City community."

The learnings from New York City will allow the ADA to demonstrate improved outcomes in GDM screening and reduced disparities in care to create a model for future growth and replication in other communities.

About the American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading voluntary health organization fighting to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic and help people living with diabetes thrive. For 83 years, the ADA has driven discovery and research to treat, manage, and prevent diabetes while working relentlessly for a cure. Through advocacy, program development, and education we aim to improve the quality of life for the 136 million Americans living with diabetes or prediabetes. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will make us Connected for Life^®. To learn more or to get involved, visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Spanish Facebook (Asociación Americana de la Diabetes), LinkedIn (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn), and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn). 

About CVS Health
CVS Health® is the leading health solutions company, delivering care like no one else can. We reach more people and improve the health of communities across America through our local presence, digital channels and over 300,000 dedicated colleagues — including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses and nurse practitioners. Wherever and whenever people need us, we help them with their health — whether that's managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with their medications or accessing affordable health and wellness services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the health care system — and their personal health care — by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and every day. Follow @CVSHealth on social media. 

Contact: Virginia Cramer, (703) 253-4927 press@diabetes.org

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SOURCE American Diabetes Association