Diabetes is one of the modern world’s epidemics, and the number of people affected is constantly increasing. For example, since the 1980’s, the proportion of elderly diabetic patients worldwide has doubled. Currently, there are approximately 600,000 diabetics in Israel, and another 900,000 diagnosed as pre-diabetic. In terms of morbidity rates, Israel’s figures are similar to those of Europe and the US. The situation, however, differs when examining the Galilee. Galilee residents are three times more at risk of developing diabetes and suffering from its complications.

The high incidence of diabetes in the Galilee can be traced to environmental and lifestyle factors. It is known that 80% of a person’s health is a result of the social determinants related to the place where a person is born, grows up, works and ages. The diverse populations residing in the Galilee, a social-geographic periphery, lack awareness of the causes of diabetes, the importance of treating it once diagnosed, and of preventing complications. This is underscored by the lack of community infrastructure to promote lifestyle changes.

The Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE, a 10-year 75 million dollar intiative, was established to deepen scientific knowledge on the relationship between health inequity and health outcomes. The implementation of the innovative model, developed by Dr. Spitzer, enables the development and evaluation of a unique ecosystem in which academia, local authorities, community organizations, health maintenance organizations, and hospitals in the Galilee region, work together to reduce inequity. The initiative implements an urban-community model that creates an innovative infrastructure for health. The aim is to halve the number of pre-diabetics who become diabetics, and significantly reduce the number of patients whose diabetes is poorly controlled.

For more information on the SPHERE initiative and the SPHERE team please visit:
http://diabetes-sphere.org