Northern Michigan Diabetes Initiative

Established in 2006 to address diabetes as a critical health care problem as identified by the Munson Healthcare Community Health Committee, the Northern Michigan Diabetes Initiative (NMDI) is a 12-county rural regional collaborative that provides diabetes education and awareness in order to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and improve the care of people with diabetes. NMDI is led by Munson Medical Center in partnership with the entire Munson Healthcare system of eight hospitals, Priority Health, four health departments, the Michigan Department of Community Health, Michigan State University Extension, numerous physicians, diabetes educators, and other community service agencies committed to providing resources for the prevention and management of diabetes. While most diabetes collaboratives focus on providing optimal evidence based care management to the person already diagnosed with diabetes, NMDI focuses on concurrent upstream targeted education of four specific populations: the general community, the socioeconomically-challenged high-risk population, rural primary care providers (PCP) caring for patients with diabetes, and those diagnosed with diabetes and pre-diabetes.

The overall goal is to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and improve the care of people with diabetes.

Since its inception, NMDI has provided the public with prevention and management education about pre-diabetes and diabetes. Multiple methods have focused on taking the diabetes risk test and having a conversation about diabetes with a PCP. All methods direct the viewer to the website nmdiabetes.org. Website page views average 800 per month. Diabetes screening A1C tests have increased from less than 15,000/year in 2005 to more than 22,000/year in 2012. NMDI also distributes resources at health fairs, area free clinics, through local media, and in partnership with various other local nonprofits.

In addition, NMDI runs the Healthy Family Backpack Program, which educates families on nutrition through a take-home backpack given to children through their schools, and provider education programs on patient chronic disease management. NMDI co-medical director Dr. Jill Vollbrecht developed idose, a web-based application to calculate individualized insulin dosage, for use by healthcare providers.

NMDI recently won the Michigan Health and Hospital Association’s 2013 Ludwig Community Benefit Award.