The Columbia Diabetes Center

The Cosmopolitan Diabetes Center University of Columbia - Missouri

	Former Center Director Dr. Tom Sowers (left) with Founding Director Dr. Tom Burns (right) and his wife Joan

In 1976, Dr. Thomas Burns accepted the directorship of the center. He worked tirelessly with the Cosmopolitans and MU officials, who agreed that the former would raise funds for the construction of a facility, while the latter would provide funding for operating expenses. The Cosmopolitans raised more than $1 million for the building and equipping of the center.

About the Health Care Access Clinic

 

The Cornbelt Diabetes Connection, Inc. (CDC) was started in 1993 by the clubs in the Cornbelt Federation. The mission of CDC is "To provide health care and education about diabetes and related complications to communities and individuals that may not have adequate access to such care of information."

CDC has been successful in its efforts to provide diabetic health care and education through the three programs that it promotes and supports. The three programs consist of free diabetic screenings, diabetes education classes, and a crisis intervention program. In each project CDC has partnered with other organizations. For the diabetes education classes and the crisis intervention program, CDC is affiliated with the Diabetes Education Center of the Midlands (DECM). The classes consist of a beginning and follow up class for both Type I and Type II diabetics. Classes have made in impact on individual attendees by showing reduction in A1C readings in the follow up classes.

In the crisis intervention program, Cosmo members assist in interviewing prospective clients to insure that they meet the financial needs guidelines for emergency diabetic medical supplies. This program helps applicants with emergency diabetic medications for up to thirty days and possibly up to ninety days maximum based on demonstration of continued financial need.

A change has been made this year in the partnership for the no charge diabetic screening program. CDC is now partnering with the Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing. This program is excellent in helping to identifying individuals who are unaware of their risk to diabetes. Since the inception of this program, the screening program has tested 36,200 patients with over 5,000 referrals. In recent years referrals have ranged in the area of twenty percent of individuals screened. In the partnership with the Methodist College we hope to see an increase in community outreach and greater fulfillment of the organization’s mission.

The CDC Board of Directors is very appreciative of the generous support of the Cosmopolitan Diabetes Foundation throughout the entire program and especially in 2010 when a grant of $9,000.00 was contributed.   

Towards a Cure for Diabetes

• Diabetes is a severe, life-threatening disease resulting from an impairment of the body's ability to turn glucose into usable energy.
  
  
• In 1997, research scientists at the Strelitz Diabetes Center at Eastern Virginia discovered a gene called they called INGAP (Islet Neogenesis Associated Protein) as a possible cure for diabetes. This breakthrough discovery was made under the direction of Dr Aaron I. Vinik, Director of Research.  Dr. Vinik’s research team collaborated with Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, M.D., who is the Director of Surgical Research at McGill University and the Center for Diabetes Research at Montreal General Hospital in Montreal, Canada.
  

	Strelitz Diabetes Center at the  Eastern Virginia Medical School.

• The work on INGAP was based on the strong belief that the cure for diabetes was in finding a way to generate new insulin secreting cells from the body’s own pancreatic islet cells.
  
  
• At the 1999 Cosmopolitan International Convention in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, the delegates approved the support of the INGAP diabetes research efforts as a new Cosmopolitan International Project. This support was reaffirmed at the 2000 Cosmopolitan International Convention in Rapid City, South Dakota, when the delegates approved a commitment to raise $150,000 each year for the next five years for INGAP research to find a cure for diabetes.
  
  
• While INGAP is able to regenerate insulin-producing cells, the auto immune process, characteristic of type 1 diabetes, continues to destroy the cells. Now a new approach to preserving the beta cells in the pancreas is underway.
  
  
• Recently, David Taylor-Fishwick, PhD, Associate Professor, Internal Medicine and Director of the Cell, Molecular and Islet Biology Laboratory, began working on research which applies to both regenerative and autoimmune medicine.
  
  
• The great news is that Dr. Taylor-Fishwick was awarded a grant by the Department of Defense that will fund the next phase in the team’s research –finding a way to neutralize the immune system’s attack of the beta cells. This immune attack occurs at the onset of diabetes and may continue after type 1 diabetes has appeared.
  
  
• Dr. Taylor-Fishwick and his team will test several experimental drugs developed by Jerry Nadler, MD, Chairman of Internal Medicine and Director of the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center. The compounds are designed to modify the autoimmune response and stabilize beta cells. The possibility of being able to regenerate insulin-producing islet cells and stopping the body’s immune attacks is very exciting. 

For U.S. Contributions to Diabetes Research:

For Canadian Contributions to Diabetes Research:

About Crusader Clinic

	Cosmopolitan Patient Learning and Resource Center at Crusader's West State Street Location

Crusader Community Health was established in 1972 in Rockford, Illinois, as a not-for-profit federally qualified community health center. Crusader’s mission is to serve the Rock River Valley area with quality primary care for all people in need. In 2009, over 43,000 individuals were served.

We are so very grateful to the Cosmopolitan family for their long-term standing support. The Rockford Cosmopolitan Club along with other club partners and the Cosmopolitan Diabetes Foundation have contributed over $350,000 to the Crusader Community Health/Cosmopolitan Diabetes Program which is now a Major Cosmopolitan Diabetes Center of Cosmopolitan International.

 

Maria Campos (right), Health Resource Educator at Crusader's Cosmopolitan Patient Learning and Resource Center is working  with a Crusader patient on how to operate the computers.

Going the extra mile in 2002, the Club purchased a mini-van and related equipment to put ‘Diabetes Detection’ on the road. Thanks to this support, more than 5,000 free blood sugar tests at over 200 community events were administered. Much to our surprise, over 12% of persons tested had an elevated blood sugar level. The van was recently sold but the Crusader staff continues to conduct diabetes screenings at many community venues

• Ten self-education computer stations with easy-to-use interactive visuals in English and Spanish explaining health topics such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, asthma and preventive care.
•  A library of written health education materials in English and Spanish.
• Confidential offices where Crusader chronic disease managers can conduct one-on-one patient education sessions.

•  Meeting spaces for group and education sessions and support group activities.

	International President and other Cosmopolitan members visit the Crusader Community Health Cosmopolitan Patient Learning and Resource Center  on March 11, 2010.

Together we have provided an avenue of health and hope to nearly 3,000 diabetic patients who receive a continuum of care from screening, diagnosis, treatment, meters, test strips, and access to dental and optical care. We could not have done this without the Cosmopolitan group…

until there is a cure……

Donations to Crusader Community Health

• General Contributors – Individuals, clubs, businesses, friends and families who want to support people with diabetes, i.e., the general public.
• Bequests and Legacies – A simple statement in your Last Will and Testament such as “I give the sum of $X to the Cosmopolitan Fund for Children, for its charitable purpose” will help fund Cosmopolitan Pediatric Projects and reduce your estate tax burden.
• The Living Gift – Federal tax laws encourage charitable giving through generous tax deductions. Important tax savings can result from careful gift and estate tax planning. See your financial advisors for ways to get the tax benefit of your gift today while reserving the income produced by the gift for loved ones.