The program, was which was held in the private dining room at Northwest Regional Medical Center, included a tour of the Metabolic Clinic in the physicians' building.
That unit deals with the causes and corrective measures for those with diabetes.
The project is a large-scale collaborative disease management intervention to address diabetes in the Delta, Bouldin said.
"The Mississippi Delta, the poorest region of the poorest state, has extremely high measures of health disparities, obesity, diabetes and the complications from diabetes," Bouldin said.
Bouldin, a Clarksdale native and one of four sons of acclaimed artist Marshall Bouldin Sr., said the obesity and diabetes have a direct correlation.
"A third of our school children in Mississippi are obese," Bouldin said. "We're talking about being 30-40 percent overweight."
Bouldin, who is also director of the University of Mississippi Diabetes and Metabolism Center, said the average patient has had diabetes for 10 years.
"Seventy-one percent of African-Americans have diabetes," he said. "Thirty-six percent of diabetics are without any kind of insurance and about half of them are under 65."
A second Delta Health Alliance outlet i n Clarksdale is the works for the Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center, 800 Ohio St., which is just across the street from NWRMC, Bouldin said.
There are other centers in Greenville, Cleveland and UMMC.
The metabolic center goes beyond primary care which can not address such ailments as diabetes, Bouldin said.
"Primary care physicians do not have the time to go into great detail about a person's health problems with the large number of patients they see daily," Bouldin said.
With statistical projections based on the current trend, Bouldin said the number of diabetics on kidney dialysis in 2000 "will double by 2010."
During a question/answer session, Bouldin told the audience that basic lifestyle changes could significantly improve the health of Deltans.
"We must change human behavior," Bouldin said. "We will put exercise equipment in the Aaron Henry Center."
Bouldin said the DHA center in Cleveland already has exercise equipment in place.
Bouldin said the financial resources are available to work with diabetic patients more effectively.
"We have the grant money to work with highly skilled individual such as nutritionists, nurse practitioners and pharmacists," Bouldin said.
"We are here in the Delta for the long run," Bouldin said.
Dr. John Hilpert, president of Delta State University and chairman of the DHA, opened the program.
Hilpert said the alliance members include the Delta Council, DSU, Mississippi Valley State University, Mississippi State University, UMMC, Mississippi State Medical Association, the Mississippi Hospital Association and the Mississippi Primary Care Association.
"The Delta Health Alliance is collaborating with the Delta Regional Authority and University of Tennessee Health Science Center, " Hilpert said.
Others include the Joslin Diabetes Clinic, Mississippi State Department of Health, centers for disease control and local health care providers.
During a tour of the metabolic center, Bouldin said certain ethnic groups, including African Americans, have a greater tendency to develop diabetes.
He said the Pima Indians in Southwest U.S. have the highest rate of diabetes.
"When we compared the Pimas in America to those in Mexico we found that in Mexico have far less cases of diabetes," Bouldin said.
The study revealed that the Mexican Pimas are more labor intensive and that their lifestyle is healthier.
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