Transformative Partnership for Diabetes Care

In a collaborative effort to significantly reduce diabetes cases in the Galilee region, an agreement was signed between the Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE, based in the Bar-Ilan University Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, and Maccabi Healthcare in Israel's Northern district. The agreement outlines the expansion of the intervention program, designed to decrease the transition from pre-diabetes to diabetes, to additional patients. Two new initiatives will be implemented, focusing on providing medications to prevent disease complications and balancing diabetes patients with elevated glycated haemoglobin levels above 9%.

The Diabetes Spectrum, established three years ago, aims to diminish the diabetes prevalence in the Galilee and enhance holistic patient care through collaboration with academia, health services, the community, government offices, and philanthropic foundations. Professor Naiem Shehadeh, Director of the Diabetes SPHERE and Head of the Diabetes and Obesity Division in the Northern District of Maccabi Healthcare, stated, "The number of patients classified as pre-diabetic increases each year. About 6% of those in pre-diabetic condition develop diabetes. As a first step in our effort to reduce this statistic, we created a joint intervention program that showed significant improvement in pilot metrics, promising results, and a substantial 50% decrease in patients progressing from pre-diabetes to diabetes."

This collaboration between organizations will facilitate the development of new models and paradigms, enable on-site implementation of research findings, and ensure proper care for the improvement of the health of Galilee residents. Additionally, this partnership may serve as an applicable model for managing preventable chronic and infectious diseases, raising health standards for socially and geographically peripheral communities.

Dr. Rizan Sakhnini, the Northern District Physician for Maccabi Health Services, said: "The connection between the Faculty of Medicine and Maccabi Healthcare is not trivial. We started with a big dream, and as a result, we have significant plans for the future. The Ministry of Health has also begun to show interest, examining the possibility of replicating our model in the south and in other domains, such as mental health." Dr. Sivan Spitzer, Deputy Director of the Diabetes SPHERE, added, "We are grateful for this partnership, and there is still a long journey ahead of us. Together, we can contribute to promoting the health of the Galilee's residents."