Lilly launches neighborhood diabetes prevention program

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Locally based Eli Lilly & Co. on Tuesday announced a new neighborhood program in an effort to prevent people from getting diabetes and help those already living with it. 

The School of Public Health at Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis is working on a pilot of the program along with Eskenazi Health and other entities. The idea is to send out six health care workers to three neighborhoods on the northeast northwest side and near-west sides of the city. The workers would identify people with diabetes and offer them care patients cannot get at the hospital.

The workers also will identify barriers increasing the risk for others to get diabetes in those communities.

The program will run for 5 years. Eli Lilly is using $7 million to fund the program.