The Population Health category recognizes organizations that work to improve the health of patients and communities through prevention, treatment and improved access to care.
Category Winner
BEATDiabetes partners with organizations to identify and enroll participants in a text message-based program that provides evidence-based education on healthy lifestyles. Program participants receive customized tips on healthy eating, active living and chronic disease prevention or self-management three to five times a week. To date, 1,018 participants have received a total of 625,097 health-related text messages. BEATDiabetes participants with hemoglobin A1Cs less than seven increased from 19% to 36%, and those with hemoglobin A1Cs less than 9 went from 63% to 80%.
First Runner-Up
Eastern Shore Area Agency on Aging/Community Action Agency (ESAAA/CAA) successfully enrolled 59 participants from Eastern Shore, Virginia in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Healthy Hearts Ambassadors Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program (HHA BPSM). Supported by the trained Healthy Heart Ambassadors, participants received a free blood pressure monitor to measure and record their blood pressure, attended two personalized 10–15-minute consultations per month, attended monthly virtual nutrition education sessions and cooking classes and received a Healthy Heart graduation kit upon completion of the program. Currently, 194 blood pressure readings have been reported across HHA BPSM participants with a 43.5% improvement in blood pressure.
Second Runner-Up
Prince George’s County Health Department (PGCHD) in Maryland leads PreventionLink, a technology-based, patient-centered program to improve healthcare outcomes for patients with chronic diseases. Through PreventionLink, PGCHD implemented systems, delivered tailored communication/messaging, and helped to establish or expand the use of telehealth technology to increase enrollment in lifestyle change programs for Type 2 diabetes prevention. They promoted the adoption of clinical systems and medication therapy management (MTM) and expanded the use of telehealth, including remote patient monitoring (RPM).
PreventionLink reached 24,000 residents in four Southern Maryland counties and enrolled 54% of eligible participants in National Diabetes Prevention Programs (NDPPs), Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support services, RPM, and MTM programs.
2023 Nominees
This year’s outstanding nominees represent a wide range of organizations throughout the United States including acute care hospitals, community-based organizations, health collaboratives, long-term care facilities, public health, rural health clinics and voluntary health organizations.
