Type One Diabetes Program Up And Running At OCHS

HARWICH – A new program focused on endocrinology care has officially launched at Outer Cape Health Services. 

The demand for diabetes care has grown in recent years due to the aging population and widespread diabetes diagnoses in Outer Cape communities. The program will provide access to affordable endocrinology healthcare while alleviating emergency room trips for patients affected by related illnesses.

Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS) received grant funding for the program through the Lillylulu Foundation, a completely volunteer-based charity that fundraises to directly impact the lives of type one diabetes patients based in Massachusetts. The foundation was created by the friends and family of Lilly, a young woman diagnosed with type one diabetes. 

The program itself will be referral-based and offered to patients with OCHS providers. Accepted patients will receive telehealth appointments with Dr. Zona Batacchi, a general endocrinology practitioner who specializes in thyroid, diabetes and metabolic disorders. 

Batacchi graduated from the University of The West Indies in 2006 with a medical degree and completed an internal medicine residency in New York City at Harlem Hospital Center. According to OCHS, she is a recipient of the 2016 Endocrine Society Outstanding Abstract Award and a current member of the Endocrine Society. She resides in New Providence, N.J. 

“Telehealth as part of a collaborative care model allows community health centers like OCHS to improve access to specialized care,” said Dr. Damien Archer, CEO of OCHS. “It improves successful treatment outcomes and health equity for diverse patient populations, benefitting the community as a whole.”

The program looks to provide preventive care and encourages patients to reach out to Diabetes and Endocrine Nurse Care Manager Jessica Black for any coordination questions. She is available during regular business hours, Monday through Friday. 

OCHS has three separate locations in Harwich Port, Wellfleet and Provincetown. For more information, visit www.outercape.org or call Black at 774-209-3225.