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Cecil County Community Health Advisory Committee �Diabetes Strategy�Development

September 8, 2021

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Daniel Coulter, MPH

Director of Health Planning

Cecil County Health Department

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Strategies: Formation of LHIC Non-Profit; Health Literacy Needs Assessment

  • Establish a 501 c(3) Non-profit
    • Cultivate public-private partnerships
    • Solicit business investment in PH activities
    • Increased flexibility in activities LHIC can support
  • Health Literacy Needs Assessment
    • Conduct an assessment detailing areas of need and strategies to improve health literacy with a focus on diabetes
    • Develop and implement health literacy trainings with a focus on diabetes

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How we got to the strategies

  • Non- Profit
    • Formation of a non-profit is an idea our LHIC has been exploring
    • Partnered with businesses in the past on wellness activities through our CHIP
    • Leadership support for increasing public-private partnerships

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  • Health Literacy Needs Assessment
    • Health literacy was identified as an area of need in our latest CHNA
    • Consultation with the Horwitz Center for Health Literacy including a Health literacy presentation to LHIC members

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Facilitators & barriers in strategy development

  • Non- Profit
    • LHIC has discussed the idea in the past and is supportive of the concept
    • Time constraints and priority level during pandemic

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  • Health Literacy Needs Assessment
    • Have not been able to identify a consultant to complete the assessment
    • Will be submitting a grant modification request to refocus our diabetes strategy

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LHIC engagement & feedback on the strategies

  • The Diabetes Action Plan and funding opportunity was presented to LHIC membership in January 2020
    • LHIC supportive of adding Diabetes as an additional LHIC priority area
    • Healthy Lifestyles Task Force tasked with developing and implementing plan activities
  • Cecil’s diabetes strategies were presented in January 2021
    • LHIC membership supportive of the two strategies and provided feedback on the Health Literacy Needs Assessment.

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What’s next

  • Working with consultant on our application for 501 c(3) status.
  • Submitting a grant modification request to refocus our second strategy on the development of:
    • a digital health communications library featuring diabetes education/support courses & subscription to
    • A subscription to integrate social care networking database into our digital platforms to increase community access to diabetes supports/resources

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