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Diabetes Food Chart Community Outreach Program

In 1996, diabetes ranked seventh in the nation as a leading cause of death; however, diabetes deaths ranked fourth in the central portion for the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, the home of Knapp Medical Center. Knapp Auxilians recognized the seriousness of this statistic and when they were approached for a $10,000 grant to develop Diabetes and Renal Food Charts, they didn’t hesitate to say yes. A review of the hospital database showed that 1 in 6 patients admitted to Knapp had diabetes. The educational food charts in use at the time were no longer in print. Other available material was either out of date or not sensitive to the cultural background/literacy level of the patients served.

In collaboration with the hospital’s Public Information and Nutrition Services Departments, two user-friendly, bilingual, four-color food charts were developed. This effective teaching tool is appealing to patients and helps them learn how to understand food choices to better manage and regulate their disease. Bruce Lime, as Auxiliary President, was included in the planning and development stages of the project. The food charts add an important dimension in helping dietitians teach our diabetic community how to take control of their health through a healthy diet. The grateful response from dietitians all over the country, tell us that the lack of teaching materials was a far bigger problem than we ever realized.

Once the charts were developed in the summer of 1997, Mr. Lime and the Auxiliary were approached by Knapp dietitians to make the charts available for sale to area facilities. Local dietitians had seen the prototypes, thought they were great, and wanted them for use with their own patients. The Auxiliary decided at that point to turn the project into a Community Outreach Project and take on the responsibility for inventory, marketing, ordering and mailing the food charts. Ten thousand each of the Diabetes and Renal food charts were printed. Of these, half were printed with the hospital logo and the other half without a logo for other hospitals to purchase and personalize for their facilities. Inquiries and sales tax are handled by the Volunteer Services Office; the packing and mailing of each order and reorders are handled by Volunteer Bruce Lime who has continued his personal interest in the project. His primary goal has always been to provide a much needed educational tool and get it into the hands of as many diabetic patients as possible. His wife, Florine, has diabetes and they know firsthand the benefits of the food charts.

So, after receiving such an overwhelming response from the dietitians within our own demographic area, it seemed only natural to expand the project to include the entire state of Texas. Bruce worked with the Public Information Department to develop a brochure and order form. The Texas Hospital Association was so impressed with the project they provided the Auxiliary with mailing labels for all member Texas Hospitals. Bruce mailed out four hundred brochures in mid-February 1999, and within a week, there were over fifteen responses.

Incredibly, our first year and a half, over 6,500 food charts were sold. Realizing these charts were meeting a definite need, the Auxiliary chose to go national with the food charts. They were first advertised in the ADA Journal of the American Dietetic Association in early 1999, and then made available at the ADA Product Market Place in October 1999. There has been a tremendous interest in the food charts over the years and to date, nearly 70,000 food charts have been sold in 34 different states. Orders from hospitals and clinics lead the way, but educators have requested them for prison populations, for use on Indian Reservations and for indigent Eskimos in Alaska.

While not the goal of the project, over the last 12 years enough money has been generated by the project to recoup the original $10,000 grant and offset each additional printing. The cost of the charts is kept to a minimum, but it is now, surprisingly, a fundraising project. The ongoing income will help fund other projects and programs of the Auxiliary.

It is gratifying to know that the Diabetes and Renal food charts play an important role at Knapp Medical Center and throughout the United States in helping diabetes patients successfully manage this potentially debilitating, fatal disease and encourage them to exercise increased responsibility for personal wellness.

"Since 1987 the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45% while the death rates due to heart disease, stroke and cancer have declined. Keeping blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol in control can make a difference in reducing the risk for heart attack and stroke. The diabetes food charts are a useful and welcome tool in helping us teach our patients how to better manage their diabetes. Caring for diabetes saves lives."
- Olga S. Oviedo RN MSN CNS Certified Diabetes Educator

Our Diabetes Community Outreach Project was awarded the 1998 Texas Association of Hospital Auxiliaries Past President’s Award for Outstanding Community Service. It was included in the recognition of the Knapp Diabetes Center as the recipient of the Texas Hospital Association's 2000 Excellence in Community Service Award. And, it was selected as an American Society of Directors of Volunteer Service's Extraordinary Award in 2000.

In 1998, Bruce Lime received a Certificate of Recognition from then Governor George W. Bush for outstanding achievement in the volunteer community. Bruce's quiet and thoughtful leadership style has resounded loudly throughout our community. His dedication to the diabetes outreach project, the Auxiliary, and his community serves as an example of how one person's commitment to volunteerism can impact the quality of life for a single community and beyond.

TIMELINE:

• 1996: $10,000 Grant to develop food charts
• 1997: Auxiliary Community Outreach Project
• 1997 Local Outreach: Charts available to local facilities (hospitals, clinics, dialysis centers)
• 1998 Statewide Outreach: Caught the eye of the Texas Hospital Association. So impressed with outreach project, provided the Auxiliary with mailing labels free of charge for all member Texas Hospitals. Brochure developed and mailed to 400 Texas hospitals.
• 1998: Awarded the Past President's Award from the Texas Association of Hospital Auxiliaries
• 1999 National Outreach: Advertised in the ADA Journal of the American Dietetic Association and made available at the ADA Convention Product Market Place.
• 2000: Included in the recognition of the Knapp Diabetes Center THA Excellence in Community Service Award
• 2000: Recipient of ASDVS Extraordinary Program Award for Community Outreach
• 2008: Diabetes Chart reviewed and updated
• 2009: Nearly 70,000 Diabetes and Renal Food charts have been sold to dietitians throughout the United States.