Community health stakeholder integration: The Columbus, Georgia model

The Columbus Project is a communitywide intervention designed to identify individuals with metabolic syndrome in the population of Columbus, Georgia. This two year project began in June, 2007 as an effort to impact community-wide awareness of metabolic syndrome by engaging multiple stakeholders at several levels within the Columbus community. The Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce was the cornerstone of the engagement. Other stakeholders included the city government, the media, the Center for Health Transformation, community employers, and local physicians. A screening program was implemented at employer worksites to evaluate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, raise awareness of prediabetes, and provide education about reducing relevant health risks. Additionally, the NCQA's Diabetes Provider Recognition program was implemented with Columbus physicians to ensure the quality of care in the community.

Eight months into the project, 818 employees have been screened, and 59 of 71 (83%) of eligible community physicians have either been recognized under the NCQA program or are in the process of achieving recognition. A surprisingly high proportion (36%) of this sample of Columbus's working population was at risk for diabetes and related conditions. This underscores the need for this type of well-coordinated community level program.

This presentation will more fully discuss the program design, project outcomes, lessons learned, and the roles of the community stakeholders including the Chamber of Commerce and the Center for Health Transformation. We believe that this program can be a model for adoption by other communities throughout the United States.