Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center
Chicago
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Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center (SMEMC), along with six other community partners, are actively working to decrease Type II Diabetes in the Puerto Rican community living in Humboldt Park through a one-of-a-kind campaign.
Information was gathered from a door-to-door study conducted by Sinai Urban Health Institute and published in 2006, confirming that Puerto Ricans in Humboldt Park were at higher risk for diabetes. These residents had a 14 percent higher rate of Type 2 diabetes than any other Chicago neighborhood.
As a result, Block-By-Block — the Greater Humboldt Park Community Campaign Against Diabetes, was developed by community organizations, local universities and hospitals working together to improve the health of the community.
Block-By-Block was launched in April 2010. The program model features full-time block captains going house to house, spanning a 72-block area, to screen residents for diabetes and create dialogue about the impact of the disease on the community and on lives. Block captains promote diabetes awareness — from prevention and diagnosis to self-management and available resources. Detecting diabetes early can help prevent complications and death.
The study/intervention is funded by the National Institutes of Health through a grant to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Since July 2010, block captains have surveyed 800 and contacted 5,000 residents. Block captains conduct an in-depth survey to assess an individual's risk of diabetes.
High-risk residents are encouraged to visit their primary care doctors for follow-up care or are referred to community clinics that provide care for the resident.
Other partners in Block-By-Block include Rush University Medical Center, The Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Sinai Urban Health Institute, Pueblo Sin Fronteras, Norwegian American Hospital and The Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness.
For more information, visit www.Block-by-Block.org, Facebook.com/72blockbyblock or call (773) 342-0855.
About SMEMC
SMEMC is part of Resurrection Health Care, a nationally ranked leader in quality care sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth and the Sisters of the Resurrection. SMEMC is an award-winning medical center on Chicago's near northwest side and includes two campuses: Saint Mary Campus, 2233 W. Division St., and Saint Elizabeth Campus, 1431 N. Claremont Ave. The Saint Mary Campus is certified as a Primary Stroke Center and accredited as a Chest Pain Center. The hospital specializes in primary care, obstetrics, cardiac care, behavioral health and emergency services. For two years in a row (2010 and 2011), the medical center received HealthGrades® Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award™. Visit smemc.reshealth.org/best.
