KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - King County Executive Ron Sims announced today that the Seattle-King County REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) 2010 Coalition has been awarded a significant federal grant to continue its work toward eliminating diabetes-related health disparities in racial and ethnic communities.

The REACH Coalition -- which includes Public Health - Seattle & King County -- works cooperatively toward the goal of eliminating diabetes-related disparities among African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic/Latino communities in King County.

"Our minority communities have been disproportionately affected by the burden of diabetes. This grant gives us the tools to strike back at this critical health disparity, " said King County Executive Ron Sims.

"We are grateful for the efforts of Public Health as well as all of the REACH Coalition partners in working to reduce health disparities in our community," added Sims. "Our thanks goes out to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for making this incredible effort possible."

The REACH 2010 Phase II award -- approximately $1,000,000 per year for four years -- will be dedicated to developing, implementing, and evaluating innovative community level intervention demonstrations that improve early diagnosis and on-going management of diabetes among racial and ethnic minority populations.

"Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common, serious, and costly chronic diseases in the United States - yet when managed properly, people with diabetes can lead long and healthy lives," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County. "This grant allows us to continue and expand our work in reaching out to the communities most affected by the disease." Click here to take the diabetes risk test.

Phase II activities will build on existing coalition work to implement the activities and programs developed in the coalition's planning phase. This integrated approach to eliminating disparities related to diabetes will include a wide array of planned intervention activities, including:

• Support groups and peer education
• Individual case management
• Self-management classes
• Restaurant and grocery store information campaigns
• Faith-based education
• Education activities at the work-site
• Education at pharmacies

In addition to Public Health, The Seattle-King County REACH 2010 Coalition includes a multitude of organizations, experts, people with diabetes, and numerous other agencies and individuals interested in diabetes and the health of people of color.

Organizational members in the coalition include the Center for Multicultural Health, the African American Community Health Network, the Cross Cultural Health Care Program, International Community Health Services, Sea Mar Community Health Center, the American Diabetes Association, Community Health Council of King County, the University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center, Evergreen Health Care, Aging and Disability Services, and Washington State Department of Health.

Additional Information

Data Watch Report: Diabetes Prevalence and Death in King County and United States (November, 1999)

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