The Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health at Marshall University has announced a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation to help diabetes coalitions in ten distressed communities implement solutions to the widespread problem of diabetes.

The coalitions are part of the university's Appalachian Diabetes Control and Translation Project, which has created sixty-six such coalitions in nine states since 2000 with funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). Over the next five years, the CDC and ARC will provide training while Marshall guides the participating coalitions through a planning process, equips them with evidence-based programs, and provides ongoing technical assistance. The university also will evaluate the project, examining the coalitions to determine the changes they effect in their communities and in patients' diabetes health.

"Study after study has shown that we have an alarming situation with type 2 diabetes in the areas served by the Marshall University Center for Rural Health," said Marshall University president Stephen J. Kopp. "The awarding of this five-year grant will allow us to continue to work toward effective solutions to our region's unique challenges. We appreciate the vision, collaboration, and generosity of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation in assisting us in our work to alleviate a pressing medical need."