The Community Health Improvement Network CHIN will host a lunch and earn event at noon Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, at NorthPark Church, located at 7770 Highway 39 North.

The topic of the lunch and learn will be about diabetes. Approximately 345,500 adults in Mississippi, or 15.3% of the adult population, have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Britney Kersh, family nurse practitioner at Greater Meridian Health Clinic, will be the CHIN presenter for the event. Diabetes, she said, can lead to severe health problems if not controlled.

“Diabetes is a dangerous long-term chronic disease that causes disability.  It can lead to complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, and even amputation. Regular doctor visits can help control and even prevent diabetes,” she said.

CHIN President Beverly Knox said every year, an estimated 13,300 adults in Mississippi are diagnosed with diabetes.“Mississippi has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the U.S. However, our standing is improving. We’ve moved from 50th in the nation to 48th.”

The CHIN Mission is to facilitate collaboration among community and provider partners to create joint programs and cooperative ventures that improve and sustain healthcare access and quality delivery, especially for underserved and underprivileged populations in Lauderdale County and the surrounding area. The lunch and learn series helps further that mission by promoting discussions between area residents and healthcare professionals.

“The lunch and learns provided a safe platform for critical discussions between the community and medical professionals. This open dialogue can help stop or even prevent more serious illnesses,” Knox said.

Initiated in 2016, CHIN, a rural health network, has recently merged with The Montgomery Institute. As a result, the Institute is taking on the CHIN mission to coordinate the community’s response to healthcare needs identified by community health assessments performed by hospitals and other organizations in Lauderdale County.

Current CHIN partners include Baptist Anderson Regional Medical Center, Alliance Health Center, City of Meridian, East Central Healthnet, East Mississippi Business Development Corporation, Greater Meridian Health Clinic, MS State Department of Health, Meridian Community College, Meridian Housing Authority, Mississippi State University-Meridian, Ochsner Rush Health, The Free Clinic of Meridian, The Phil Hardin Foundation, and Weems Community Mental Health.