Prioritizing Equitable Care for Diverse Individuals and Populations
Nov 16, 2023, 11:51 AM
By Magon Saunders, DHSc, MS, RDN, LD
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Let the countdown begin to ADCES23 and our 50th Anniversary celebration! We cannot wait to welcome you to Houston, Texas. In the Equitable Care for Diverse Individuals and Population education track, we have worked hard to develop an unprecedented conference agenda with diverse, world-class speakers. These efforts have resulted in twenty-six interactive educational sessions and many posters that will elevate the importance of equity care in diabetes care and education.
Our nation is becoming more diverse, yet our diabetes workforce does not always reflect this diversity. Now is the time to recognize and celebrate our unique cultures, backgrounds, and traditions and highlight the importance of understanding customs and experiences that differ from our own. For instance, in the United States, 61.4 million adults (26% of the population) live with a disability. Because of cost, over 37% of adults with disabilities have been unable to access primary and regular preventive care resulting in poorer outcomes for those with disabilities and diabetes.
Many diabetes care and education specialists struggle with getting to the outcomes they seek when working with others from different racial, ethnic, geographic, and sexual orientations. To maximize chances for success, we should work to gain insight into the person’s life experiences and try to meet them in their cultural space. The ADCES23 Equitable Care for Diverse Individuals and Population education track is designed to give you this background with sessions that discuss diabetes care as it relates to race, religion, culture, life stage, disabilities, and sexual orientation. Below is just a sampling of sessions you will find within this track:
- Screen and Refer for Hearing Loss: Aids are Now Available Over-the-Counter
- Engage and Retain Black Men in the National Diabetes Prevention Program
- Gain Insights from Delivering a Faith-Based National DPP to the Hispanic Community
- Assess Health Disparities to Improve the Equitable Use of CGM
- Discover The Hispanic Paradox: Longevity, Heritage Foods, Sofrito, and Beyond
- Knock Down the Barriers to Managing Diabetes in the School Setting
- Practice Gender-Diverse Care for Meaningful Clinical Outcomes
- Showcase Options for Eating Right When Money is Tight
- Empower the Geriatric Population in the Community: The Pharm2Home Initiative
- Fight Racism and Discrimination: The Art, Tea, DEI, Accessibility, and Belonging Program
Our underserved populations deserve dedicated care and resources. Each day when you walk into your practice, we know that your goal is to provide equitable care for diverse individuals and populations. So, don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sharpen your skills in this area and expand your diabetes care and education toolkit. Together we can make equitable care for diverse individuals and populations a reality.
Explore all ADCES23 sessions in this education track ADCES Educational Tracks and remember to register today.
See you in Houston!