The Community and Clinical Preventive Services (CCPS) program aims to reduce the impact of obesity and related chronic diseases on the State of Texas by focusing on clinical and community systems-level enhancements. Activities help clinical staff and community-based providers prevent obesity and related chronic diseases, reduce or eliminate risk factors, detect chronic diseases early, and mitigate or manage complications as well as empower individuals and families to reduce or eliminate risk factors and self-manage their obesity or related chronic disease. Use of coordinated, evidence-based preventive services in community and clinical settings can lead to: effective disease management, improved communication and treatment along the continuum of care, reduction of healthcare costs and out-of-pocket expenses, and improved population health outcomes.
Beginning in 2017, DSHS will focus on cross-collaboration within the agency in an effort to provide more coordinated support of the integration of public health approaches into the delivery of care as standard practice in healthcare systems. Statewide priorities are to:
- Enhance health information technology for healthcare system quality improvement;
- Develop community-clinical referral mechanisms for improved obesity and related chronic disease systems of care;
- Facilitate evidence-based education and training for providers, patients, and communities to ensure consistent messaging of reliable health information and collaboration;
- Reduce barriers to accessing healthcare for prevention of disease, increased early detection, and reduction of complications;
- Coordinate comprehensive data collection, analysis and management to evaluate activities and determine overall impact on health outcomes at the population level;
- Engage community and clinical partners to strengthen partnerships and increase sustainability; and
- Encourage healthy lifestyles for individuals, families, and communities through health promotion, outreach, and marketing.
History
The CCPS initiative was created in 2014 as a way to reduce the impact of chronic diseases in the State of Texas by focusing on treatment and management. Statewide priorities from 2014-2016 were:
- Optimization of clinical preventive care through quality improvement strategies, such as standardizing clinical quality measures (CQM) and training for integrated team care in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs);
- Improvement of electronic health referral systems that increase tobacco use screening, counseling, and referral to the state Quitline in clinical settings; and
- Enhanced linkages between clinic systems and community-based resources, including enhanced training opportunities for Community Health Workers (CHW) on chronic disease prevention, and improving coordination for chronic disease self-management programs.
For more information, please contact the Obesity Prevention Program.