Kathy Ell, the Ernest P. Larson Professor of Health, Ethnicity, and Poverty at the USC School of Social Work, is part of a team that has received a $573,514 grant from the American Diabetes Association to help Latinos with diabetes transition safely from hospitals into community settings. Ell, a co-principal investigator, will assist Susan Enguidanos, PhD '04, an assistant professor in the USC Davis School of Gerontology and the study's principal investigator.

Studies have shown that Latinos with diabetes are significantly more at risk for hospital readmission than non-Hispanic whites with diabetes and that clinicians' knowledge of the language and culture of their patients directly impacts communication and treatment adherence. Transitioning out of the hospital to a community setting poses an additional risk for poor health outcomes among older adults, particularly among Latinos with diabetes.

Ell said this will be the first randomized clinical trial specifically focused on Latino diabetics that aims to improve the care provided when individuals transition out of the hospital to the community.

She said the study is especially important in California because diabetes accounts for 5 percent of all deaths among Latinos; and in Los Angeles County, Latinos have the highest prevalence of diabetes over all other populations.

"The care model will address major depression because it is associated with even greater risk for poor diabetes outcomes, including re-hospitalization," Ell said.

The three-year grant will cover the trial, which is a collaborative effort between USC; Partners in Care Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to improving health care and health systems; and Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower Medical Center.