Expert: Emphasis on Diabetes Research Can Close Gaps in Marginalized Communities

Following her session at NACDS Total Store Expo (TSE), Jasmine Perry, PharmD, CPHQ, sat down for an interview with Pharmacy Times® to discuss why leveraging diabetes research to improve health outcomes is a focus for the future of care. Perry explained the More Than a Script program, which connects underserved patients to community pharmacies across North Carolina, as well as her work at Blue Cross Blue Shield NC.

Jasmine Perry, PharmD, CPHQ: So, I'm Jasmine Perry. I'm a senior clinical pharmacist at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, and I currently work on our Professional Engagement and Quality team. So, I have a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of North Carolina and a biology degree from North Carolina Central University.

Pharmacy Times®: Why is leveraging diabetes care research so important to improving health outcomes?

Perry: So [at] Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, we're truly dedicated to the health and well-being of all North Carolinians, and we truly know that research is the foundation of all transformational work. So, when we are developing clinical programs or programs that can have impact on our patient populations, we always want to incorporate the latest cutting-edge research, and we've done that through More Than a Script, which is a new program we just launched. In More Than a Script, we are connecting our members or our patients with community pharmacies across the state to have impact on their diabetes care. So, we truly believe in the power of cutting-edge research and implementing that research into new programs.

Pharmacy Times: Can you discuss some of the research and data you've seen surrounding the impact that diabetes has in marginalized communities?

Perry: Sure. So as mentioned, research is really, really important to us. And, some work that was conducted by the American Diabetes Association, or the ADA, specifically for the state of North Carolina, [shows] we have over 1 million people in our state with diabetes. That's around 12% of the adult population. And beyond that, around 250,000 don't even know that they have the condition. So, in North Carolina we have a diabetes epidemic, which is something that we truly want to have impact on. So, our internal Blue Cross NC Drivers of Health team does a ton of research on marginalized communities and underserved communities and how they're impacted by this condition. So internally, we have been able to identify communities across our state that have wider diabetes care gaps or who are not at goal. And through that research, we have developed specific partnerships with communities in those areas to make sure that those members, those patients, have access to a community pharmacist that can help close some of those care gaps in diabetes.

Pharmacy Times: How do you utilize this research in your work with underserved populations?

Perry: Sure. So, the research, of course, is very important. And as mentioned, our Drivers of Health team does the research to look specifically at the numbers in North Carolina and how those patients or underserved communities are impacted by the disease state. So one way that we have had impact or utilize the research about marginalized communities is, of course, through More Than a Script, we were able to identify those communities, of course work with those pharmacies to launch the program, and then beyond that, we've been able to train the pharmacist and just get a better understanding of that patient population through talking to a community member who is a community pharmacist or an independently-owned community pharmacist. It's been a really, really awesome experience with More Than a Script, by utilizing that research about marginalized communities to then take action, talking to the community members to have impact, and truly understanding their points or their state of being, specifically around diabetes and how we can have impact.