Health Centers Receive National Recognition for Providing High Quality Diabetes Care

Congratulations are once again in order for our Union’s Health Centers! Already recognized by the City of New York’s Department of Health for an outstanding program to help members stop smoking, the Health Centers recently earned another prestigious distinction. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has announced that the Health Centers have received recognition for providing high quality care to patients with diabetes.

This is no small accomplishment. The Diabetes Recognition Program was designed to improve the quality of care that patients with diabetes receive by recognizing doctors who deliver quality diabetes care. Recognition is only granted after the NCQA and the ADA conduct studies where the data submitted demonstrates performance that meets the program’s key diabetes care measures. These measures include eye exams, blood pressure tests, nutrition therapy and patient satisfaction, among others.

We can say that receiving this recognition is an outstanding accomplishment because less than five percent (5%) of all medical practices in the United States have been recognized by the NCQA for Quality Diabetes Care.
Quality care such as that provided by the Health Centers is extremely important for people with diabetes. Dr. Robert Greenspan, the Chief Executive Officer of the Funds, explains why: “When people with diabetes receive quality care as outlined by these measures, they are less likely to suffer complications such as heart attacks, stroke, blindness, amputation and kidney disease. For a person with diabetes, the right doctor makes the difference between living with diabetes as opposed to suffering from diabetes. Doctors who earn recognition through the NCQA’s Diabetes Recognition Program have an established track record of providing excellent diabetes care.”

Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood sugar to enter the cells of the body and be used as energy.  An estimated 16 million Americans have diabetes. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and it has no cure. But, as Dr. Greenspan explains, the right doctors make the difference between living with diabetes or suffering from it. We are proud to say the NCQA and the ADA have recognized the quality care provided by our Health Centers!

The Health Centers have been recognized for excellence in treating diabetes and helping members to stop smoking. Here, a member studies Health Center information on quitting the nicotine habit during the recent Great American Smoke Out.