News Release
April 23, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC —A newly announced grant from the CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) to Global Sustainable Partnerships Inc. (GSP) will support Advancing Equitable Health to Reduce Diabetes for African American women in Wards 7 & 8, Washington, DC. Approximately 200 women will benefit from the one-year project, which launches in May 2021.

“GSP is passionate about implementing health and wellness programs that benefit African American women and their families. Our approach is “no one size fits all” but instead to “meet women where they are” – understanding their values, styles, needs, and emotions and collaborating in ways that empower participants to lead healthier lifestyles. “We will take a holistic approach, focusing on diabetes and addressing the social determinants of health. GSP and its partners will implement a comprehensive “Call to Action” — “A Seat at the Table” program to achieve health equity so that everyone can obtain their full health potential. Our belief is that no one should be prevented from achieving optimal health because of their social position or circumstance. Our “Seat at the Table” program promotes wellness against diabetes by raising awareness, expanding public engagement, and changing attitudes and behaviors (e.g., healthier eating, increased physical activity, mental clarity, weight loss, and reduction of stress), said GSP Founder and CEO, Kimberly L. Fogg in today’s announcement.

The Advancing Health Equity program is designed to combat diabetes. It aligns with CareFirst prevention efforts and serves as a precursor to supporting healthier communities, reducing costs, and saving lives. “CareFirst is committed to providing leadership in assessing and addressing a range of health, social, and economic issues in the communities we serve. Our support of Global Sustainable Partnerships (GSP) furthers our goals of investing in the social determinants of health in pursuit of health equity and social impact to improve health care access and affordability,” said Destiny-Simone Ramjohn, Ph.D. Vice President, Community Health & Social Impact.

COVID-19 has exposed several inequalities in Black and Brown communities. Among these are diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. In fact, some studies suggest that Black Americans are up to 3 times more likely to die from COVID-19 related maladies compared to non-minority populations. The pandemic also highlights diabetes that affects predominantly diverse communities, like Washington, DC Wards 7 & 8. Diabetes is a growing epidemic among low-income neighborhoods and a leading cause of chronic health issues for African Americans. These health disparities stem from the lack of access to health care, educational programs, and nutritional resources in comparison to areas of more affluence.

Diabetes is also one of the costliest chronic conditions to treat and manage. Teaching people who have pre-diabetes/diabetes to manage their condition is the most cost-effective approach resulting in reduced complications and improved health outcomes. The availability of disease management programs is virtually non-existent in black lower socio-economic communities. The morbidity rate for African American women is higher than any other racial group and they are more likely to suffer from health challenges and unique factors that are influenced by their socio-economic status. In fact, African American women are more likely to have type 2 diabetes than any other racial group.

GSP’s program’s goal is to help reduce the morbidity and mortality from diabetes and its complications by improving the outcomes for Black Women living with pre-diabetes/diabetes, promoting early diagnosis, and preventing diabetes.

About CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield: In its 83rd year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies, is a not-for-profit healthcare company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to 3.4 million individuals and employers in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. In 2019, CareFirst invested $43 million to improve overall health and increase the accessibility, affordability, safety, and quality of healthcare throughout its market areas. To learn more about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, visit our website at www.carefirst.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

About Global Sustainable Partnerships (GSP): Global Sustainable Partnerships, Inc. was founded by Kimberly L. Fogg and co-founded by Mary Barth and designated as a 501(c)(3) in early 2010. GSP works internationally/nationally to promote sustainable development solutions to improve women’s (and their families) lives globally by providing excellent services to build their capacity. It does this through building private-public partnerships to create and foster sustainability initiatives to enhance and strengthen the capacity of organizations involved in healthcare systems, build the capacity of communities and organizations involved in humanitarian assistance and emergency operations, promote community engagement in vulnerable communities, and conducting intervention assessments. To learn more about GSP, please visit our website at www.gspartnerships.org.

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Contact: Kimberly L. Fogg | Founder | Global Sustainable Partnerships | 404-909-2428 kfogg@gspartnerships.org