The goal of this session is to introduce the Gateway Cardiovascular and Diabetes Self-Management Workshop as an Evidence Based, Low-Cost Peer Led Program that empowers participants to reduce negative behaviors as well as empowers suffers to better manage their condition, for these reasons we believe Gateway is well suited to our Rural Communities. Gateway is a fun program that encourages Socialization, Problem-Solving and Decision Making Techniques, Communication Skills, and Action Planning through the adoption of proactive self-management. Gateway only requires one certified facilitator, and has no licensing fee, a huge cost saver and a plus in retaining volunteers. In a 2012 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 15% of Native Americans and Communities of Color in Oklahoma were reported to have Diabetes. And for the same period in these populations, approximately 58% under 75 years of age died from Cardiovascular Disease.
The CDC Reports the following Oklahoma Statistics.

At least 68 percent of people age 65 or older with diabetes die from some form of heart disease.

Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease than adults without diabetes.

The American Heart Association considers diabetes to be one of the seven major controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

The Gateway Program addresses ways to Reduce Stress and Encourage Exercise and Healthy Eating, adopting these strategies lesson the onset of both Heart Disease and Diabetes, increasing one’s quality of life while possibly reducing long term health cost resulting from chronic disease from the introduction of Self-Management techniques. If prevention is known to be key in reducing cardiovascular disease and diabetes, we recommend the incorporation of the evidence-based Gateway Program to our Rural Tribal Communities.
Learning Objectives:

Become aware of the Gateway Evidence-Based Cardiovascular and Diabetes Program.

Have the awareness that there is a low cost peer-led evidence based program with a focus on self-management as a tool that impacts factors that lead to Heart Disease and Diabetes.

That Gateway Program can help to reduce the cost of long term health care.