Frequently Asked Questions
Diabetes
Diabetes Education and Support
Where can I find a local diabetes support group?
Where can I find training on managing diabetes?
Where can I find educational resources (literature, videos) to hand out to others (e.g., clients, church members, event attendees)?
Where can I find someone to speak about diabetes or the state diabetes and control program for a local event or interview?
Where can I find out what a person with diabetes can eat?
School Settings
Where can I find information on diabetes management in the school setting?
Where can I find information for my college paper on how Missouri deals with the problem of diabetes?
Where can I find information on getting an internship with your department?
Other Diabetes Questions
Where can I find local data about diabetes and the problems caused by diabetes?
Where can I find information on how to dispose of used diabetes supplies?
Insurance
Doesn’t my insurance have to cover diabetes?
In Missouri, there is an insurance mandate that commercial plans must offer coverage of diabetes supplies, equipment, and self-management education. However, businesses can still decide not to provide this coverage to employees. Check with your plan to see what they do and don’t cover.
Where can I get insurance that will cover a chronic disease such as [type 1] diabetes?
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has a web page to provide people with answers to questions about getting or keeping health insurance. Visit their website at http://www.diabetes.org/advocacy-and-legalresources/healthcare/insurance.jsp to see if their information can help you.
If you’ve shopped around for insurance but were turned down or charged more than 150% of the standard premium rate, contact the Missouri Health Insurance Pool (MHIP). That organization was created for the purpose of finding insurance for those who otherwise might not be able to get it. Some eligibility requirements apply. You can visit their website at www.mhip.org or phone them toll-free at 800-821-2231 for more information.
People who don’t make a lot of money and don’t have insurance can also visit one of the state’s Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). These community health centers base the fees they charge on the patient’s income (called a sliding fee scale). Find the health center closest to you by visiting the Missouri Primary Care Association’s website at http://www.mo-pca.org/healthcenters.htm.
Where can I get dental care if I am uninsured and have diabetes?
Any dentist can work with a person with diabetes—just let your dentist know about your disease. Many are willing to make payment arrangements if you don’t have insurance. If you can’t afford the dental care fees and you live in the Kansas City area, you can visit the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Dentistry. Their fees average one-half to one-third of those of private care. The UMKC School of Dentistry’s website is http://dentistry.umkc.edu/bec_patient/default.htm. You can also visit a Federally Qualified Health Center, as noted in the answer to the above question.
The Missouri Dental Association lists some other resources on their website. Go to http://www.modental.org/mx/hm.asp?id=unresources for their list of resources, such as a list of providers for uninsured people. Another option is to phone the Missouri Oral Health Program at 800-891-7415. They may be able to help link you to a dentist in their network.
Financial Assistance
Where can I get assistance with buying my diabetes testing supplies and medicines? Or for buying special shoes for people with diabetes?
Many drug and medical supply companies have programs to provide free or low-cost supplies or help paying for medicines. Contact the makers of your supplies to see what kind of programs or discounts they might offer. Our website lists some of the more common patient assistance programs. Go to http://www.dhss.mo.gov/diabetes/RelatedLinks.html#healthcare and http://www.dhss.mo.gov/diabetes/RelatedLinks.html#assistance.
Medicare may cover the purchase of therapeutic shoes. If you have Medicare, see http://www.dhss.mo.gov/diabetes/DiabetesMedicare.pdf for more information.
The attached document may give you ideas on other places to contact for more help with diabetes supplies and medicines.
Where can I find funding for my organization’s efforts to work with people with diabetes?
Our website has a list of some of the larger organizations that provide funding opportunities for community health efforts in Missouri. Go to http://www.dhss.mo.gov/diabetes/RelatedLinks.html#GrantsFunding to access that list.
Diabetes Education and Support
Where can I find a local diabetes support group?
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) website lists some support groups. To find the list of support groups and other activities, visit ADA at http://diabetes.org/communityprograms-and-localevents/whatslocal.jsp. If a group is not listed for your area, or one is not nearby, you might contact local hospitals. Their diabetes educators may have information on local support groups. If you have a child who might like to try an online support group, visit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) website at http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=103451.
Where can I find training on managing diabetes?
Your health care provider or insurance provider may help you include a diabetes educator as part of your health care team. If you would like to find a diabetes educator near where you live, you can visit the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) website at http://www.diabeteseducator.org/ and click on “find a diabetes educator.”
If you can’t afford fees for diabetes management training, you can contact either a local University of Missouri extension office or a local public health agency (health department) office, to see if they provide training. Go to http://extension.missouri.edu/regions/ to find the nearest extension office. Go to http://www.dhss.mo.gov/LPHA/LPHAs.html to find the local health department. You can also visit a federally qualified health center (as noted above).
Where can I find educational resources (literature, videos) to hand out to others (e.g., clients, church members, event attendees)?
The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) developed many terrific resources. They will supply a limited amount of certain items at no charge and provide additional items at a low cost. They will also allow you to download copies for an unlimited amount of reprints. Visit the NDEP’s website at www.ndep.nih.gov.
The Missouri Diabetes Prevention and Control Program (MDPCP) keeps a limited number of pamphlets on hand that can be ordered for general use. Go to http://dhssnet/Warehouse/i-l-cdc.html to access the chronic disease control literature list. Links at the top of the page provide the order form and instructions on how to place your order.
MDPCP also has a video loan program. Go to http://www.dhss.mo.gov/diabetes/DiabetesVideos.pdf for a list of available diabetes videos. At the bottom of the list you will find a link for instructions and a form to place your video loan order.
Where can I find someone to speak about diabetes or the state diabetes and control program for a local event or interview?
E-mail our office at DiabetesMO@dhss.mo.gov with the specific details of the event or the focus of the interview. Include your contact information so someone can e-mail or phone you in response. We will check with our staff and share your request with our partners—a group of professionals who work with our program on diabetes issues—to see who might be available to assist you.
Where can I find out what a person with diabetes can eat?
Making wise meal choices is one of the most important steps a person with diabetes can take to manage their disease (along with exercise and regular medical care). The American Diabetes Association (ADA) provides information on the best food selections on their website at http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/healthyfoodchoices.jsp. If you have diabetes, you should also talk to the diabetes educator or nutritionist on your health care team.
School Settings
Where can I find information on diabetes management in the school setting?
The Missouri Diabetes Prevention and Control Program worked with various partners, including school nurses, to develop the manual “Diabetes Management in the School Setting.” To download a copy of the manual, go to http://www.dhss.mo.gov/diabetes/Dschool.html. This webpage will also list school-setting resources from other sources. In addition, you can visit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International’s webpage for school setting information at http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=103439.
Where can I find information for my college paper on how Missouri deals with the problem of diabetes?
First, visit our website at www.dhss.mo.gov/diabetes to learn what you can. Some of your questions will be answered with information on the website. E-mail the Missouri Diabetes Prevention and Control Program (MDPCP) with other questions at DiabetesMO@dhss.mo.gov. Include a requested date for our response.
Where can I find information on getting an internship with your department?
Send an e-mail to info@dhss.mo.gov. Provide information on your educational background, the timeframe you are available, where you are located, and your interests. Someone from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services will respond and let you know whether we can or cannot act as a preceptor for an internship during the time and location available or in your areas of interest.
Other Diabetes Questions
Where can I find local data about diabetes and the problems caused by diabetes?
Our Community Action Resource Kit has links for this information in one place. Go to http://www.dhss.mo.gov/diabetes/Introduction.html and click on “Research” at the top of the page. From the Research page you can access links to websites with general diabetes information.
You will also see a link on that page for the Community Data Profile, which will have state, regional, and county data on diabetes. After clicking on the link for the Community Data Profile, you can choose the Diabetes profile. You can also choose the 2003 Health and Preventive Practices Status Report from Missouri County-level Study. Highlight one of those choices, and from the field below select a county or region. Then click “Submit.”
Important notes about the Community Data Profile:
- When viewing one of the county-level reports from the Diabetes profile, please note that the information reported on the first two items—risk factors for diabetes (overweight, obesity, physical activity) and the adult prevalence of diabetes—is for the region that county is in, and not for that county alone. However, the data that follows on diabetes in pregnancy, hospitalizations, and mortality reported is for that county.
- When viewing one of the county-level reports from the 2003 Health and Preventive Practices Status Reports, please note that the data in that report is for two counties combined. This study is being conducted again, and we hope the new data will be based on a larger number of responses so that each county can have its own profile.
Where can I find information on how to dispose of used diabetes supplies?
The following links can help you learn how to properly dispose of used needles following your insulin injections:
|
State Home
