PRESS RELEASE: Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center and Fit4D Secure Robin Hood Foundation Grant to Offer Diabetes Management Program
Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center and Fit4D have received a major grant award from the Pershing Square Immigrant Opportunity Fund at Robin Hood. This grant will provide both organizations with the opportunity to offer personalized coaching to diabetes patients in managing this disease. Bronx-Lebanon’s Department of Family Medicine will be spearheading the initiative.
Diabetes is a chronic and complicated disease with high incidence rates in the Bronx. About 15 percent of Bronx residents have diabetes, including 17 percent of the Hispanic population. Many patients struggle to integrate diabetes management into their daily lifestyles, often not adhering to their medication and treatment plan. Among the contributing factors are inability to monitor blood glucose levels, financial concerns, negative side effects and the emotional burden of the disease.
“The Robin Hood grant will help us target immigrant and Latino patients with diabetes by providing them increased access to treatment, when necessary, from our expert team of Family Medicine Practitioners, with the added and most important benefit of ongoing support from the Fit4D coaches,” stated Dr. Doug Reich, Chairman, Family Medicine.
As part of the Fit4D program, patients will be provided with one-on-one personalized support from a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) coach. These coaches build relationships via multiple communication methods – phone calls, texts, emails, and more – which will enable them to educate patients on drug therapies, motivate better lifestyle choices, and provide problem solving and the emotional support required for people living with diabetes. Through building trust with patients and helping them overcome barriers, the human touch of Fit4D CDEs has resulted in improved health outcomes, especially in medication adherence and HbA1C reduction. Fit4D scales the reach of CDEs by leveraging technology, which enables more patients to have convenient access.
“Diabetes is a debilitating disease for low-income New Yorkers including immigrants and Latinos,” said Sarah Oltmans, Managing Director of Health at Robin Hood. “The partnership Robin Hood has forged with Bronx-Lebanon and Fit4D will support a promising and scalable approach to helping people with the disease.”
“Fit4D is proud to partner with Bronx-Lebanon and Robin Hood to drive positive change in New York’s underserved community,” said David Weingard, founder and CEO of Fit4D. “Diabetes is a complex disease. With this grant, we are able to educate and empower the Bronx-Lebanon patients who need it most.”
About the Robin Hood Foundation
Robin Hood is New York’s largest poverty-fighting organization. We find, fund and create more than 200 highly effective programs that are helping 1.8 million New Yorkers learn and earn their way out of poverty. Because our board of directors underwrites all operating costs, 100% of your donation goes directly to organizations helping New Yorkers in need. http://www.robinhood.org Facebook: facebook.com/robinhood Twitter: @robinhoodnyc
About Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center
Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center is the largest voluntary, not-for-profit health care system serving the South and Central Bronx, with 882 beds at two major hospital divisions, comprehensive psychiatric and chemical dependency programs, a specialized long-term care facility, and an extensive BronxCare Network of medical practices, including the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Health Center, that provides more than 1.2 million visits annually. Bronx-Lebanon is among the largest providers of outpatient services in New York City, and its ER is responding to 139,000 visits, one of the busiest in New York. Bronx-Lebanon is also fully accredited by the Joint Commission, the leading accrediting authority for hospitals in the nation. Its medical school affiliation with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and clinical collaboration with the Mount Sinai Health System, as well as 15 accredited residency and fellowship programs, are further indicators of its medical excellence.
About Fit4D
Fit4D’s mission is to improve the lives of people living with diabetes. Fit4D delivers effective patient programs through an optimized mix of humans and technology to deliver measurable outcomes in an affordable manner. The Fit4D clinical team of Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs) is comprised of dietitians, exercise physiologists, nurses, social workers and more, who are passionate about empowering people with diabetes to live rich, healthy and fulfilling lives. Fit4D’s Fortune 500 clients include health plan, provider and pharmaceutical companies. Fit4D has also engaged in numerous joint initiatives with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, American Diabetes Association, and the Diabetes Research Institute.