Three of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)’s federally designated Beacon Communities, in New Orleans, southeast Michigan and Cincinnati, will launch a program this week aimed at sending personalized text messages to people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The initiative is called the“txt4health” mobile texting program.
It helps targeted individuals assess their diabetes risk levels, manage their health and connect with available wellness and diabetes care resources. Along with the ONC, the program was created by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Beacon Community Program, the Crescent City Beacon Community, the Southeast Michigan Beacon Community, the Greater Cincinnati Beacon Community and Voxiva.
Individuals should text “HEALTH” to 300400 if they want to get involved. Once enrolled, they’ll be prompted to set up a profile by answering a series of questions to assess their risk of acquiring Type 2 diabetes. The responses will set up a customized texting program designed to assist the individual in improving and managing his or her health.
“The txt4health campaign reflects a collaborative effort that uses mobile health technology to connect people who are at risk to much-needed resources which will allow them to manage and improve their health,” Vivian Fonseca, MD, president of the ADA’s Medicine & Science division, said in a statement.
The ONC’s Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program provides funding to 17 communities to develop health IT systems such as health information exchanges (HIE) and electronic health records (EHR).
