UnitedHealthcare Catalyst Aims To Improve Health Outcomes for Individuals With Diabetes in Southwest Georgia

Multiyear collaboration with Albany Area Primary Health Care and Feeding the Valley Food Bank to improve knowledge of diabetes self-management for Albany residents where diabetes is 5% higher than the statewide average

ALBANY, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UnitedHealthcare Catalyst^TM, a community-based program that leverages data to drive better health, will launch in Southwest Georgia. Together with Albany Area Primary Health Care and Feeding the Valley Food Bank, the organizations aim to improve health outcomes for individuals with uncontrolled diabetes as part of a multiyear collaboration.

"UnitedHealthcare is committed to empowering Georgians with the education and resources they need to better manage their health," said Michael Minor, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Georgia. "We believe this collaboration with Albany Area Primary Health Care and Feeding the Valley Food Bank will help individuals control their diabetes, leading to improved health."

Beginning in July, patients at Albany Area Primary Health Care identified as having uncontrolled diabetes will be eligible to participate in the UnitedHealthcare Catalyst program. By blending clinical data with firsthand information from community members to identify health challenges, the program formally brings together local partners to develop a collaborative community plan to address needs and track progress and outcomes. Individuals will have access to medication management programming, personalized nutrition education from a dietician, and medically tailored food boxes provided by Feeding the Valley Food Bank.

“This is an important partnership with UnitedHealthcare and Feeding the Valley Food Bank as it aligns with our organization’s quality improvement initiatives and our focus on reducing diabetes cases in our community,” said Shelley Spires, CEO, Albany Area Primary Health Care. “Working together we aim to impact the lives of people with diabetes to help them meet their overall health goals, while promoting positive change in our patients’ lives.”

In Dougherty County where Albany is located, diabetes has a prevalence of 16%, which is 5% higher than the statewide average. While diabetes is a chronic condition, proper nutrition and management can help with disease progression, unnecessary medical visits, and better quality of life.

“Food insecurity rates in this region are among the highest in the state and this leads to health issues for many members of our community,” said Frank Sheppard, president and CEO, Feeding the Valley Food Bank. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact that nutrition can have for participants of this program and are thankful we can do our part to contribute to its success."

UnitedHealthcare Catalyst has created community-based partnerships in 28 states across the country. This program combines UnitedHealthcare’s analytic insights with community input and experience. Together, the partners identify health challenges to address and create coordinated, community-based solutions. The goal is to build on a community’s existing work and resources to make the most impact over time.

UnitedHealthcare serves more than 1.1 million members enrolled in employer-sponsored, individual and Medicare and Dual Special Needs Plans in Georgia, with a network of 154 hospitals, and over 42,000 physicians and other care providers statewide.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.5 million physicians and care professionals, and 7,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter.