Free Diabetes Care Offered to Community Health Options Members through Blue Circle Health

Blue Circle will offer endocrinology care, nutrition advice, peer support, counseling and other services through phone, text and video calls.

NEW GLOUCESTER, ME, UNITED STATES, April 2, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Community Health Options' Members with Type 1 diabetes can get free virtual care, education and support through a new partnership with Blue Circle Health, which offers services including endocrinology care, diabetes counseling, education and help with nutrition and coordination of care. The program’s available to Members over 18.

Working closely with Community Health Options’ Care Management team, Blue Circle will begin contacting Members with Type 1 diabetes beginning Monday, April 7.

“Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition with challenges at every stage of life,” said Dr. Lori Tishler, chief medical officer at Community Health Options. “For many adults, managing their disease understandably takes a back seat to the complexities of life—work, family responsibilities and even social activities. We are thrilled to partner with Blue Circle Health to provide extra support at no cost to our adult Members with Type 1 diabetes.”

About 10% of Maine’s population has been diagnosed with diabetes and more than 35% have prediabetes, with more than 6,800 Mainers being diagnosed every year, according to the American Diabetes Association. And only about a quarter of those with Type 1 diabetes in the U.S. have blood sugar levels with A1C levels below 7%—the common measure over two to three months showing controlled diabetes, according to the most recent National Health and Nutrition and Examination Survey.

Primary care physicians often rely on specialists like endocrinologists to help their patients manage diabetes, but there’s a shortage of endocrinologists across the country, including in Maine, with just about 40 statewide.

“People with Type 1 diabetes benefit from additional support not typically available due to the lack of specialists and long commutes,” said Blue Circle CEO Dr. Leonard D’Avolio. “Thanks to the generous support of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, we’re able to partner with amazing organizations like Community Health Options to bring free care, education and support to adults living with Type 1 across the state of Maine.”

Blue Circle’s team will coordinate with the Member’s existing care team, which could include a PCP, endocrinologist, or other care worker. Through phone, text and video calls, they’ll provide endocrinology care, nutrition advice, peer support, counseling, financial assistance, access to insulin and education, including how to use glucose monitoring tools and insulin pumps.

Additionally, Blue Circle will:

• Connect Members to local resources for housing, food, employment and other needs.
• Communicate with PCPs regarding their patients’ care, along with inviting Community Health Options to monthly update meetings.
• Ensure any care provided to Members is delivered safely in line with clinical guidelines.
Blue Circle expanded its care to Maine in 2024 and the program is available to any adult with Type 1 diabetes. Those interested can sign up on Blue Circle’s website.

Community Health Options has several projects geared to help Members with diabetes, including its yearly effort to call and encourage Members to schedule eye exams. Other programs include:

• A partnership with Twig Health to help decrease the risks that come with high blood sugar levels—heart or kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage or stroke, among other things—by ensuring appropriate use of A1C blood tests, which measure blood sugar levels. Using Twig’s innovative combination of text, AI and licensed nurses, 49% of 146 Members due for A1C testing agreed to participate in the program, and half immediately scheduled their tests.
• Building partnerships with providers to remove barriers to care. For example, a recent project with a Maine-based practice sought to ensure Members with diabetes had the resources to manage their A1C levels. And at the end of the 2024 project, 50% of Members contacted lowered their A1C levels.
• An annual Wellness Grant program offering five $10,000 grants to Maine nonprofits that foster good nutrition, physical activity and healthy habits that reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and associated complications. More information is available on the company’s Community Giving website page. Applications are due by Friday, April 11.

About Blue Circle
Blue Circle, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of people with Type 1 diabetes, offers a virtual program that leverages partnerships with patients, families, medical professionals, and community-based organizations to remove barriers to care. Blue Circle is entirely philanthropically funded, allowing Blue Circle to offer its services at no cost, including diabetes medical care, behavioral health support, insurance navigation, disease education, peer coaching, access to supplies and medication, and connection with community resources. Follow Blue Health on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.

About Community Health Options
Community Health Options is the only Maine‐based, nonprofit, Member‐led health insurer and plan administrator, providing comprehensive health plans for individuals, families and businesses. The company offers the most robust provider network in Maine, featuring the Community Health Options network, which includes providers in New Hampshire and all Centers of Excellence in Massachusetts, along with plans offering U.S. national coverage for individuals and businesses. Follow Community Health Options on Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok or Instagram.

Theresa Miller
Community Health Options
+1 207-521-6772
tmiller@healthoptions.org
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