Digital Health Firm Targets Low-Income Patients For Diabetes Initiative
Omada offers an online tool to help those with diabetes — but it wants to take it a step further and specifically address a population that faces a higher risk of certain chronic health problems.
Stat:
Can A Silicon Valley Startup Prevent Diabetes In Medicaid Patients?
Omada, which offers an online program geared to helping people who are prediabetic or obese lose weight and avoid developing type 2 diabetes, is rolling out a version of its program specifically tailored to people who rely on safety-net services like Medicaid. It is also sponsoring a clinical trial to try to demonstrate that such a program can work in low-income communities. In all of Omada’s programs, participants are given a scale that tracks their weight every day and are matched into groups based on geography and weight loss goals. The groups are paired with health coaches who provide guidance and lessons, customizing them so that a group of Louisianans, for example, can discuss how to keep up healthy habits during Mardi Gras. (Joseph, 7/29)
In other news, service dogs are being trained to help those with diabetes —
NPR:
Can Dogs Help Sniff Out Low Blood Sugar In Diabetes?
For people with diabetes who take insulin, the risk of losing consciousness from low blood sugar is a constant fear. Devices called continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) can alert wearers to dropping levels, but not everyone has access to them. And even among those who do, some prefer a furrier and friendlier alert option: A service dog with special training to alert owners when their blood sugar reaches dangerously low levels. (Tucker, 7/29)
