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San Diego Diabetes Prevention Employer Toolkit The rising rates of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are serious workforce health problems for San Diego businesses. As of 2016, 13 million adults in California have prediabetes or undiagnosed diabetes, while another 2.5 million adults have already been diagnosed with diabetes. Specifically in San Diego, as many as 46% of adults are on the path to type 2 diabetes. This is particularly alarming for employers as this translates to an estimated 15 million absent workdays, 120 million workdays with reduced productivity, and 107 million workdays lost due to diabetes-related unemployment nationally. The good news is that with modest weight loss and healthy lifestyle changes, employees with prediabetes can reverse their risk of developing diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the annual healthcare cost of an employee with diabetes is $13,700, of which about $7,900 is directly attributed to diabetes-specific care; in other words, healthcare for employees with diabetes is approximately 2.3 times greater than the cost of a person without diabetes. For employers, reversing the risk of prediabetes will have a significant impact on the bottom line. One key strategy for businesses to address prediabetes and reduce associated costs is to support employees in making healthy lifestyle changes. The National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) lifestyle change program—led by the CDC—is designed to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes for those with prediabetes or at risk of developing diabetes. Businesses can include the DPP lifestyle change program as a covered health benefit for employees as a strategy to dramatically reduce their healthcare expenses, as well as to improve the overall health and well-being of employees. On behalf of the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, we are pleased to offer you the Diabetes Prevention Program Employer Toolkit. As an employer, there are several easy steps you can take to reverse the prevalence of diabetes among your workforce. This toolkit is designed to help you: Find out if your health insurance carrier covers the DPP lifestyle change program as a health benefit for your employees; Start a discussion with executives and stakeholders about the importance of offering lifestyle change programs, like the DPP lifestyle change program, as a covered benefit and the return-on-investment it can offer; and, Increase awareness of prediabetes and promote diabetes prevention among your employees. Diabetes prevention efforts support Live Well San Diego, the County of San Diego’s vision of a region that is Building Better Health, Living Safely, and Thriving. As business leaders, you can help build a healthier workforce in San Diego by supporting diabetes prevention. For more information about DPP lifestyle change programs, please visit PreventDiabetesSD.org. Thank you for your continued support towards Building Better Health in the San Diego business community. Download San Diego Diabetes Prevention Employer Toolkit
San Diego Diabetes Prevention Employer Toolkit The rising rates of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are serious workforce health problems for San Diego businesses. As of 2016, 13 million adults in California have prediabetes or undiagnosed diabetes, while another 2.5 million adults have already been diagnosed with diabetes. Specifically in San Diego, as many as 46% of adults are on the path to type 2 diabetes. This is particularly alarming for employers as this translates to an estimated 15 million absent workdays, 120 million workdays with reduced productivity, and 107 million workdays lost due to diabetes-related unemployment nationally. The good news is that with modest weight loss and healthy lifestyle changes, employees with prediabetes can reverse their risk of developing diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the annual healthcare cost of an employee with diabetes is $13,700, of which about $7,900 is directly attributed to diabetes-specific care; in other words, healthcare for employees with diabetes is approximately 2.3 times greater than the cost of a person without diabetes. For employers, reversing the risk of prediabetes will have a significant impact on the bottom line. One key strategy for businesses to address prediabetes and reduce associated costs is to support employees in making healthy lifestyle changes. The National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) lifestyle change program—led by the CDC—is designed to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes for those with prediabetes or at risk of developing diabetes. Businesses can include the DPP lifestyle change program as a covered health benefit for employees as a strategy to dramatically reduce their healthcare expenses, as well as to improve the overall health and well-being of employees. On behalf of the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, we are pleased to offer you the Diabetes Prevention Program Employer Toolkit. As an employer, there are several easy steps you can take to reverse the prevalence of diabetes among your workforce. This toolkit is designed to help you: