Monday, October 25, 2010

“Georgia Diabetes Pilot Bridging Cultural Health Care Gaps for African Americans and Hispanics Gains ... - Earthtimes” plus 2 more

“Georgia Diabetes Pilot Bridging Cultural Health Care Gaps for African Americans and Hispanics Gains ... - Earthtimes” plus 2 more

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Georgia Diabetes Pilot Bridging Cultural Health Care Gaps for African Americans and Hispanics Gains ... - Earthtimes

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 05:50 AM PDT

ATLANTA, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- A health equities pilot developed for Blue Cross Blue Shield members is one of seven programs recognized this year with a Best of Blue Clinical Distinction Award. The pilot, in which Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa) was a participant, was developed for Hispanics and African Americans with diabetes. The award was given for the pilot's innovative and successful approach to improving access to high quality, safe and affordable health care for consumers.  

The Best of Blue Clinical Distinction Program was developed by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and the Harvard Medical School Department of Health Care Policy. The purpose of the Clinical Distinction Awards is to highlight the Blue Cross Blue Shield plans nationally that demonstrate innovation, efficiency and potential for replication.

The pilot, "Bridging Cultural Health Care Gaps: Diabetes," was submitted by BCBSGa's California affiliate, which also had participants in the pilot. Two other affiliated plans in Indiana and Maine also earned Clinical Distinction Awards.

"Research shows that ethnically diverse populations experience a higher prevalence of certain diseases and worse quality of care than whites regardless of the type of insurance they have or whether they have insurance at all," said Terri Amano, senior product manager of BCBSGa's parent company's Programs in Clinical Excellence. "With this pilot, our goal was to find ways to provide useful and relevant information to our Hispanic and African American members. This information helps them better control their diabetes and improve their quality of life."

In asking members their opinions and researching their behaviors and attitudes, it was discovered that aspects of culture?food, family, faith and fear of disease complications, such as amputations and blindness, were factors that may influence behaviors and attitudes toward health care among African Americans and Hispanics. These issues were explored in many of the educational materials.

The pilot focused on creative and culturally appropriate ways to communicate with members?including providing information on how members could reach out to local churches to share these messages with others and providing bilingual Spanish print Fotonovelas, a photographic comic strip version of a soap opera. The pilot also provided diabetes educational materials that included ways to substitute ingredients in favorite ethnic meals to make them healthier.

"Harvard is pleased to recognize this pilot that sets such high standards for its effectiveness in improving patient care," said Barbara J. McNeil, Ph.D., head of the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School. "The Blues' focus on quality, safety and access plays a critical role in improving the healthcare delivery system and enhancing quality and value for consumers."

The randomized controlled pilot studied more than 4,000 African American and Hispanic members in California and Georgia.

"Even over the short term, we saw small but promising increases in disease management engagement among African American and Hispanic members," Amano said. "We see this pilot as an important first step in helping our diverse members make important changes to their health and helping to bridge the cultural care gaps that exist today."

BCBSGa's parent company plans to use this pilot in other states.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Inc. and Blue Cross and Blue Shield Healthcare Plan of Georgia, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association® . The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.  Additional information about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia is available at www.bcbsga.com.

SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Inc.

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Mylan Inc. Awards Collective $1.25 Million to 2 Cultural Institutions - The State Journal

Posted: 22 Oct 2010 12:04 PM PDT

Children will benefit the most they said.
CHARLESTON -- One of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies Friday made a lot of children happy.

Mylan Inc.'s Charitable Foundation awarded $750,000 to the Clay Center in Charleston to build the Center's permanent endowment, which also will go towards the opening of a new, first-in-class science gallery called Mylan Exploratory -- named in recognition of Mylan's support of the Clay Center.

The gallery's inaugural exhibit., called Toy Tech, will be on display through Jan. 16.

"Obviously, the best and the brightest come from our children having a great education and exposure to the arts and sciences," said Heather Bresch, president of Mylan, Inc. and a member of the company's charitable foundation board of directors.

Mylan also awarded $250,000 to the state Culture Center to provide educational programming for children, as well as an exhibit about Mylan's history from its founding in 1961 in White Sulphur Springs to the global company it is today.

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Spanish cultural award promotes cultural coexistence, exchange - Xinhua News Agency

Posted: 21 Oct 2010 09:10 PM PDT

OVIEDO, Spain, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Prince of Asturias Awards of Spain promotes coexistence and exchange between different cultures, which is beneficial to all, Prince of Asturias Foundation Teresa Sanjurjo said on Thursday.

On the eve of a ceremony to present the prestigious Spanish award, scheduled for Friday in the northern city of Oviedo, Sanjurjo told Xinhua that by awarding the Prince of Asturias prize for Social Sciences to the archaeological team excavating the terracotta warriors at Xi'an City in northwest China, "we are opening up new avenues."

"I think it is a great step towards the internationalization of these prizes, and we are very happy and proud," said Sanjurjo.

The army of more than 7,000 life-sized terracotta figures of warriors and horses was first discovered in 1974 and declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1987.

It is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century and a rich source of information about Chinese civilization.

The jury which granted the award did not only look at the importance of the discovery, but also took into consideration the huge amount of investigation and work the archaeologists had made, Sanjurjo said, adding that the improvement in techniques and advances still being made, as well as the project's impact on the perceptions of the Chinese culture, were also contributing factors.

Since 1974, when the warriors were first discovered by local farmers, the archaeological team has excavated around 2,000 figures buried between 221 and 210 B.C.

The Prince of Asturias Foundation is always aware of extraordinary productions, and Europe and Spain are clearly aware of China's advances in both social and economic fields, and therefore "this is a perfect moment for cultural exchange to help us learn from each other," Sanjurjo said.

"It is a moment to promote coexistence and discover other fountains of knowledge," she said.

Ever since the announcement of the award, the Spanish press have given wide coverage to the news, Sanjurjo said, adding "I think it is worth looking at in depth."

Xu Weihong, director of the Xi'an excavations, and two other members of his team will receive the award on Friday. A replica of one of the terracotta warriors made by the Museum is on show in Oviedo throughout the week.

Eight Prince of Asturias awards are granted each year since 1981 to reward arts, communications and humanities, international cooperation, concord, literature, social science, sports and science done by individuals, work teams or institutions.

Named after Spain's Crown Prince Felipe, they are presented each October in Oviedo at a ceremony broadcast live on Spanish television.

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