Northeast Kentucky AHEC receives grant to enhance treatment of diabetes and obesity

MOREHEAD, Ky. — The Northeast Kentucky AHEC (NE KY AHEC) has been awarded a $10,000 grant to help enhance the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity through continuing medical education (CME) programming.

The National AHEC Organization recently announced that the NE KY AHEC was one of five nationwide, regional centers to receive the funding. The project, which began on November 1 and will run through June 2024, intends to improve patient outcomes through CME. Expert faculty will present the latest research to providers from northeastern Kentucky, including primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. The project will include interactive components, including three one-hour live sessions, “Clinical Thought Commentaries,” and a mobile app to guide patient treatment selections.

The project also will increase the diversity and scope of the NE KY AHEC’s Continuing Education division.

“Type 2 diabetes is something that has come up repeatedly in our needs assessment surveys that we send out to providers in our region,” said Megan Littleton, the NE KY AHEC’s continuing education coordinator. “They encounter the condition a lot, but we haven’t been able to do something in-depth, so this is exciting. I think we’ll have a lot of interest.”

Kentucky has for years ranked among the worst states for the rate of deaths related to diabetes and obesity, and a majority of the NE KY AHEC’s counties of service in recent years have reported data below the state average.

“We try to make sure our CME program covers the most significant issues in our region,” Littleton said. “We want to have a direct impact. Educated providers lead to healthier patients, and this grant will allow us to educate providers on a topic that’s extremely prominent here. We couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity.”