Two from SCAN Health Plan Arizona to Serve as Master Trainers for

Stanford University’s Chronic Disease Self-Management Program

(PHOENIX, AZ – September 27, 2010) — SCAN Health Plan Arizona was selected by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and the Arizona Living Well Institute (the Institute) to participate in a facilitator training for Stanford University’s Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) along with seven other organizations across the state. Karen Richards, the SCAN Connections Senior Resource Center manager, and Susan Cypert, SCAN’s senior community resource specialist, just completed this comprehensive training.

ADHS provided the master training for CDSMP in Phoenix last May. An American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant administered through ADHS and funds from St. Luke’s Health Initiatives were used to launch and fund the Institute.

CDSMP was developed by the Stanford Patient Education Research Center and was adopted by the Arizona Department of Health Services to meet an identified community need. The Institute is currently partnered with the Arizona Living Well Program at ADHS to build statewide infrastructure and capacity for effective and efficient methods of promoting and implementing evidence-based health promotion programs, such as Healthy Living, throughout the state. In Arizona, CDSMP workshops are known as Healthy Living: Self-Management of Chronic Conditions workshops.

Once certified as master trainers by Stanford, Richards and Cypert will begin training “lay leaders,” members of the community managing their own chronic conditions who are interested in teaching others. The Healthy Living: Self-Management of Chronic Conditions workshops consist of weekly 2.5-hour-long classes for six weeks and uses interaction, goal setting, problem solving and action planning to help participants gain the necessary skills to manage their conditions.

“We are very excited to be part of this worthwhile initiative,” said Richards. “It’s an innovative program that puts people in charge of their own health and is taught by people who truly understand what it means to live with chronic conditions.”

“As our community ages, it is imperative that we seek ways to not only address their healthcare needs but help them better manage their own needs,” said Tom Lescault, president of SCAN Health Plan Arizona. “SCAN Health Plan Arizona is honored to have been selected as a partner in the chronic conditions program, and we look forward to empowering others in their efforts to remain healthy and independent.”

Over the past 30 days, SCAN Health Plan Arizona has been named by Modern Healthcare magazine as one of the top 100 “best places to work in healthcare” and by Arizona Business Magazine and BestCompaniesAZ as one of Arizona’s Most Admired Companies.

About Scan Health Plan
SCAN Health Plan is the country’s fourth largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plan, currently serving nearly 130,000 members in California and Arizona. Further information may be obtained at http://www.scanhealthplan.com.