Diabetes Free SC (DFSC), a collaborative initiative of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation, is a statewide program that aims to improve the health of individuals across the state. The program focuses on health equity and access to diabetes prevention, education and care. DFSC's goal is to help South Carolinians live healthier lives by working together to fight diabetes.

DFSC supports three key areas:

• Improving health outcomes for pregnant women with or at risk for diabetes
• Lowering the lifelong risk of diabetes in children
• Reducing diabetes and its complications in adults

2024 Impact Report Highlights

In 2024, DFSC and its partners made significant progress in several areas:

• Involving diverse experts: DFSC brought together professionals from different backgrounds to share ideas and work toward solutions at the DFSC annual meeting in November.
• Successful programs: Programs supported by DFSC addressed diabetes in adults, children, and pregnant women and included efforts focused on enhanced clinical care, healthy eating and active living.
• Statewide efforts: Partners across South Carolina worked on improving public health and addressing social factors that affect health, such as access to food and health care.

2024 Annual Meeting Recap

The DFSC Annual Meeting on Nov. 15, 2024, was a success, bringing together more than 150 attendees from various organizations. The following speakers shared insights and inspired attendees to take action:

• Ankoma Anderson, PhD: Senior pastor at Welfare Baptist Church
• Linda J. Bell, MD: Director at the South Carolina Department of Public Health
• Dee Brown: Clinical support manager at Affinity Health Center
• Aundrea Loftley, MD: Vice chair for health equity at the Medical University of South Carolina
• Timothy J. Lyons, MD: Executive medical director of DFSC
• Makala Smith: Grant program manager at Prisma Health

Speakers highlighted successes from funded programs, shared models for addressing diabetes, and encouraged attendees to collaborate by sharing ideas and real-life experiences.

Community Connections and Engagement

Community connections are key to fighting diabetes. DFSC works closely with public health workers, community health workers and trusted community leaders to share accurate information and build trust.

Key efforts include:

• Building trust: Engaging directly with community members to better understand their needs
• Clear communication: Providing easy-to-understand information to empower people to advocate for themselves when it comes to quality diabetes care
• Community engagement: Hosting open discussions to promote understanding and share solutions

Practical Strategies and Future Goals

DFSC is working on practical solutions to reduce diabetes and its impact:

• Improving access to healthy food
• Using community health workers to support people with diabetes
• Providing funding to expand these efforts

Dr. Timothy J. Lyons, executive medical director of DFSC, shared the importance of this work. "Our mission is to apply existing knowledge to prevent and treat diabetes and its complications, particularly addressing the health disparities that affect our state. By improving pregnancy outcomes, child health and promoting a healthy lifestyle for young adults, we aim to create a healthier future for all South Carolinians."

To learn more, check out the 2024 Impact Report and the annual meeting recap.