Cardinal Services has received $50,000 in two grants from the K21 Health Foundation intended to improve the health outcomes of people with developmental/intellectual disabilities participating in their programs.
The two grants will help fund a pair of critical health initiatives at Cardinal Services: My25, and the Cardinal Services on-site clinic, according to a news release from Cardinal Services.
My25 is a subscription service for people with disabilities that provides menus, grocery lists and recipes customized to reverse health issues such as obesity and diabetes. Studies show that people with disabilities experience more than two times the mainstream rates of diabetes and obesity. Cardinal Executive Director Vickie Lootens said proper nutrition and education can help address these issues.
In 2014, when Cardinal first subscribed to My25’s general program, they saw improvement of BMI numbers at participating group homes. In addition, due to intentional and healthy shopping, grocery bills dropped by approximately 40%. Today, Cardinal subscribes to the My25 Choice program customized to the needs of participants. In the beginning, only 49% were at a healthy BMI. Now 85% of those using My25 are at or moving toward a healthy BMI.
The release states $24,000 of the K21 award will enable Cardinal to provide the MY25 Choice program to all their residential settings in Kosciusko County. The remaining $26,000 in the award from K21 will go toward the third-year operations of Cardinal’s on-site clinic. Specifically, the funds will help cover the costs of the specially trained staff of medical professionals contracted through Rounding Providers.
For many people with a disability, seeing a healthcare provider can be a traumatic experience with long-lasting, negative effects. The on-site clinic allows people to be treated in a familiar environment by professionals specially trained to serve them. Historically, people with disabilities have not been encouraged to have the preventative screenings that neurotypical people are recommended to complete. The Cardinal team and the clinic staff continue to educate individuals and their families on the importance of these screenings and overall preventative healthcare.
Rich Haddad, president and CEO of K21 Health Foundation, stated, “Cardinal Services has been a critical organization to our community to service those with additional needs to live their healthiest lives. These two areas of nutritional improvement and specialized health care services were a great place that K21’s mission could impact those living in our county. We are excited about how both areas of focus will improve the health of the people Cardinal serves.”
In thanking K21 for their support, Lootens says that by improving nutrition, access, detection, diagnosis, monitoring, and intervention, Cardinal consumers with disabilities will enjoy better health outcomes and a better quality of life well into the future.