Mountain View, CA – When the directors of the El Camino Healthcare District meet each year to select recipients of more than $7.8 million in grants, they look for innovative programs that focus on significant health concerns that affect many members in the community. A pernicious health challenge is Type 2 diabetes – the fastest growing chronic disease in the United States.
"Type 2 diabetes is increasingly common. Eleven to 21 percent of adults have it, and one in three adults have prediabetes and 80 percent of them are unaware of it," said George Ting, M.D., chair of the El Camino Healthcare District board of directors. "Fortunately, the vast majority – up to 90 percent – can avoid this with lifestyle changes, such as weight loss – even five to seven percent – some exercise and avoiding excess processed foods, sugar, saturated fats, and smoking. The good news is that this is largely under everyone’s control."
This current fiscal year, board members awarded more than $2.11 million in grants to programs dedicated to diabetes and obesity intervention. One of those chosen was the "Better Choices, Better Health" program at Community Health Partnership, which applied for support to deliver a workshop series that would teach patients to manage – and hopefully change the course – of this chronic condition.
"Our program started because we saw a need in many of our health centers," said Julia Barba, director of community programs at Community Health Partnership. "Not only were clinic staff seeing a high proportion of patients with diabetes, but the number was also greater than the countywide average. The program started in 2021 although we had not been able to reach community members in the Mountain View area, this grant helped us to address a growing need in North County."
More than 38 million people in the United States have now been diagnosed with diabetes – that’s more than the entire population of Texas. More people are diagnosed every year and the disease is now a major health issue and the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S.
In Santa Clara, nine percent of adults have been diagnosed with diabetes and another 22 percent have been diagnosed with "pre-diabetes," a warning sign that a person is at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the future.
The Community Health Partnership (CHP) grant supports a workshop series for adults with diabetes in Mountain View, where CHP staff heard from community members concerned by the growth in diabetes diagnoses locally.
The grant helped CHP work with community health workers from the Community in Action Team, which conducted outreach to enlist class participants to attend a six-week course taught by CHP-certified facilitators. The program was up and running by Fall 2024 and has already taught two Spanish language cohorts totaling 50 participants, with a 93 percent graduation rate.
In addition to Zoom classes, participants receive information on appropriate exercise, education on decision-making and problem solving, how to make healthier food choices, referrals to health and social service community resources and help with health insurance enrollment assistance.
"Small groups like this inspire camaraderie and people share what works for them," Barba said. "Participants are also able to bring a family member to help build a network of support and encouragement at home, because when you involve the whole family it helps the individual make changes."
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The El Camino Hospital District was established by voter approval in 1956 in accordance with California Local Hospital District Law. The purpose of the district is to establish, maintain and operate or provide assistance in the operation of health facilities and other healthcare services, provider groups and organizations that are necessary for the maintenance of good physical and mental health in the communities served by the district. The district, now known as El Camino Healthcare District, encompasses most of Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, a large portion of Sunnyvale, and small sections of Cupertino, Santa Clara, and Palo Alto. The publicly elected El Camino Healthcare District Board of Directors approves tax dollar expenditures, including expenditures for the award-winning Community Benefit program. Community Benefit funds are granted each year to local nonprofits, schools and government programs that provide critical health services to the underserved. All district board meetings are publicly noticed, open to the public, and available for viewing on the district website.
Community Health Partnership is a regional consortium of ten community clinics in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties with a mission to advocate for quality, affordable, accessible and culturally competent health care. CHP member clinics, operating across 40 sites, serve as an essential primary care safety net for the most vulnerable communities throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Community Health Partnership was founded in 1993 in response to community concern for the viability of community-based, primary care health centers. By joining together in a local consortium, community health centers enhanced services to low-income patients. Initially serving Santa Clara County health centers, Community Health Partnership expanded into San Mateo County in 2004.