Since April 1, 2019, the DIP-IN Eskenazi Community Health Workers (CHWs) have been working with residents in DIP-IN's Near Northwest, Near West, and Northeast communities to manage their diabetes, assist with social needs, and provide support.
Over the years, the DIP-IN Eskenazi CHW team has made a significant impact in the DIP-IN communities, highlighted through the numbers below:
- 1,251 Eskenazi patients living with diabetes in the DIP-IN communities or going to a clinic in the DIP-IN communities were successfully contacted to see if they would like to work with a CHW
- 910 of these individuals have worked with a CHW, oftentimes for months or even years at a time
- 236 of these individuals have graduated from the program due to reaching and sustaining their A1C goal
- 910 of these individuals have worked with a CHW, oftentimes for months or even years at a time
In addition to these impact numbers, our evaluation of this clinical CHW program showed that individuals living with diabetes in the DIP-IN communities who participated in the CHW program were shown to have significant reductions in A1C levels, as well as increased odds of having two or more A1C measures in a year.
And finally, what is not highlighted here are the many stories of impact we have heard directly from the CHWs over the years that further reflect how meaningful these numbers and findings truly are.
As DIP-IN begins to move into its sustainability phase, our funded partnership with Eskenazi has come to its natural end as of January 31, 2026. Individuals who are currently enrolled in the DIP-IN CHW program will not have their care disrupted and will be folded into the general CHW program at Eskenazi.
Additionally, we do not consider this an end to our partnership! The Fairbanks School of Public Health, either through DIP-IN faculty and staff or in other ways, will continue to partner with Eskenazi Health around the CHW workforce, especially when it comes to serving our local communities.
We want to extend a huge “thank you!” to all the Eskenazi DIP-IN CHWs and staff that have tirelessly served the DIP-IN communities over nearly seven years of work. From ironing out the logistics when it came to workflows and enrollment, to being out in the community every week, we are so grateful to our Eskenazi CHW team.
