PA Hospital’s Diabetes Street Hub is boosting community outreach this National Diabetes Week (13-19 July), thanks to a new research project that’s bridging the healthcare gap for people living in unstable housing conditions.
Launched in mid-June, the Community Diabetes Screening Project was developed by Medical Lead and PAH Endocrinologist Dr Pieter Jansen with funding support through the Metro South Health Research Support Scheme (RSS).
Extending on the existing Diabetes Street Hub care model, the project links the clinical team with community partner Micah Projects to deliver timely, accessible care to those who need it most.
“What we know is that a lot of people facing housing instability find it difficult to connect with existing services in the hospital, so we work to see people and provide services more tailored to their situation,” said Pieter.
“We work very closely with Micah Projects, who have a lot of outreach within the community, especially for people facing financial hardship and housing instability. They're a really important partner for us because their network is huge.”
Through the project, a dedicated screening team will attend various community locations and events, where they offer free, on-the-spot diabetes screening, education, and referral support.
“We set up a screening stall, have a brief interview with each person to ascertain their risk, and then we do a HbA1c finger prick, which shows us their glucose control levels over three months,” explained Pieter.
“It’s not a formal diagnosis, but it’s a good screening tool to see who could be at risk. We will then invite those who have a positive screening test to come to our clinic at Inclusive Health for a confirmation test.”
It’s one of three service-enhancing research projects in development at the Diabetes Street Hub, where Pieter and his team identified a need for more accessible diabetes care within at-risk communities.
“Our goal is to not only work on clinical management, but also develop initiatives focused on education, prevention and screening, because the prevalence of diabetes in this community is still a big unknown.
“There are a lot of people in this community who may avoid care, for many reasons; and there is a higher risk of medical complications and impact on their diabetes management over time.”
As the screening program hits the ground running, Pieter says the short and long-term benefits of a project like this cannot be underestimated.
“The earlier in the process that we pick up the disease, the sooner we can connect patients to appropriate care pathways and provide more timely care, which prevents complications in the future.”