CareFirst to dedicate over $10 million to address ‘root causes’ of diabetes

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Greater Baltimore's largest health insurer, will dedicate $10.5 million in the coming years toward "addressing the root causes of diabetes" in certain regional communities.

CareFirst is working with Socially Determined, a Washington, D.C.-based health care analytics firm, to assess a range of risk factors in certain communities, including local economics, food insecurity, health literacy, violence exposure, housing instability, transportation barriers and vulnerability to Covid-19. Such factors are often commonly called "social determinants of health," or those conditions beyond basic health metrics that may affect or impact a person's or group's overall wellness. Findings from Socially Determined's analysis helped CareFirst select the six pilot communities in which to launch new social and clinical interventions aimed at improving diabetes metrics.