Opportunity. Made possible.
As an organization, we continue to learn from the people we serve and other stakeholders in order to create a meaningful impact on those served and our community. By gathering input that is analyzed by various teams, MOKA works to continuously improve our quality of services, create and adjust programs, strengthen agency processes, inform the strategic planning process, optimize the way we engage stakeholders, and improve outcomes for people served.
We gather input from stakeholders using surveys and focus groups. The formation of MOKA’s IMPact Committee (Improving through Action) has given us a forum to analyze the data and input received with a diverse group of employees with the goal of improving our program evaluation and service delivery.
MOKA committed to sustaining our Program Evaluation model by developing program logic models that support ongoing assessment of our programs to review whether we are achieving our goals. The sustainability of MOKA’s program evaluation model was so successful it was highlighted on a national podcast MOKA: A Case Study | Nonprofit SnapCast.
Using logic models, a tool that incorporates program activities, implementation and evaluation, we have identified a number of outcomes that positively influence the quality of life for the people we support such as an increase in communication, community inclusion and engagement, job obtainment, and access to healthcare resources.
One such example of improving health care outcomes for the people we support comes from MOKA’s Diabetes Prevention program. MOKA wanted to target diabetes prevention because of the number of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) at risk, along with the healthcare costs and employee time associated with diabetes management. With the backing of a two-year, $40,000 grant from The Wege Foundation, MOKA employees had the time and resources to develop a formal program for our residential homes.
A survey was administered to the people we support in residential homes to get an idea of who had Type 2 diabetes or was at risk of developing it. The survey, which follows CDC guidelines, is now part of the admissions process and looks at lifestyle factors, medical diagnoses, genetic risk factors, weight, blood pressure, and the use of psychiatric medications, which can increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
The program also focuses on educating Residential Support Staff about diabetes risk factors, getting them to implement and encourage lifestyle changes around diet and exercise, and speaking up to healthcare providers about health concerns.
The Diabetes Prevention Program, through educational efforts and a standardized screen tools, has supported successful conversations with health care providers resulting in improved assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of people who are in a prediabetes state as well as those who now have an active diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. This has lessened the gap in health equity for people with I/DD. Read more about the positive outcomes of the Diabetes Prevention Program here.
