The Howard County Local Health Improvement Coalition (HCLHIC) was awarded $50,000 by CareFirst BlueCross/BlueShield through their National Health Equity Strategy to address the Diabetes epidemic. This award supports the Strengthening Community Partnerships to Improve Health Equity in Howard County.

Using a place-based approach by targeting outreach and education of residents in specifically identified housing and residential complexes in Howard County, the HCLIC will work to improve knowledge and increase access to resources for those at higher risk for diabetes.

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death for Howard County residents. Approximately 10.8 percent of Howard County’s adult population is estimated to have diagnosed with diabetes. The data have shown racial disparity with African Americans having twice the disease rate compared with Caucasians in Howard County. The age of diabetes diagnosis among those under age 30 increased significantly from 9 percent in 2018 to 28 percent in 2021.

As one of the 27 local health organizations working to address the social and environmental factors impacting the severity or likelihood of developing diabetes, this grant will bolster the HCLIC’s collaborative efforts in pursuit of health equity and social impact to improve health care access and affordability for all Howard County residents.

CareFirst BlueCross/BlueShield have awarded a grand total of $1.76 million to different health organizations addressing the diabetes epidemic across the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area. For more information about the HCLHIC, visit www.hclhic.org or contact [email protected].