MDwise News

By Jeffrey Wheeler, M.D., MDwise Medical Director If you put 10 people in a room, averages would suggest that 4 of them have prediabetes. If that’s not troubling enough, consider this: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that three of those four people don’t know they have it. Before you shrug and say, “Well, at least it’s not diabetes,” consider this: Prediabetes comes with many of the same long-term health risks as diabetes. The difference? With prediabetes, a person has a chance to avo...

By Jeffrey Wheeler, M.D., MDwise Medical Director As a Black woman who serves as MDwise’s Equity Officer, Anye Carson is aware of sickle cell disease (SCD). She knows that it predominantly affects Black people, can cause debilitating pain and shortens life spans by as much as two decades. She knows that SCD is passed from parent to child and even if someone does not have the disease, they might carry a gene. If a carrier is matched with another carrier of that gene, it could result in a baby being born ...

By Jeffrey Wheeler, M.D., MDwise Medical Director, and Donnica Carpenter, LMHC, MDwise Manager of Behavioral Health Programs As a society, we have made great strides in understanding addiction as a disease that can strike anyone, regardless of race, age, gender or social or economic status. We accept that addiction is a lifetime challenge, not a cure-it-and-move-on condition. And we acknowledge that each individual will follow their own unique path to recovery. Nonetheless, when it comes to treatment, m...

INDIANAPOLIS (May 06, 2024) – MDwise is proud to announce it has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2024 honor in the Mid-Sized Businesses category by IndyStar Top Workplaces. The list is based on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner, Energage LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization. Employees highlighted MDwise culture for its inclusive, collaborative, and ...

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Feb. 12, 2024) – MDwise has launched WORKwise, an employment assistance and training program to remove barriers and help Hoosiers find family-supporting employment. Through a partnership with Midwest Urban Strategies (MUS), MDwise will help members who opt into the WORKwise program to increase their employment readiness. Help includes interview-skills building, resume development, career aptitude assessments, employment support services, job training and more. About MUS “Access to ...

By Lisa Knowles, D.D.S., and Jeffrey Wheeler, M.D. Oral health has an impact well beyond your mouth. It’s true: Seeing your dentist is about a lot more than teeth and gums. Regular dental check-ups benefit you in more ways than just a nice smile. In fact, oral health has been proven to affect everything from nutrition to socialization and poor oral hygiene can lead to general health issues including diabetes, heart disease and stroke. That’s why more and more health care organizations promote the broade...

Statewide, 22.7% of K-12 students still need to get all required shots for school , according to the Indiana Department of Health. Now that the federal COVID-19 public health emergency has ended, many Hoosiers could lose their Medicaid benefits if they don’t take action. To help with both issues, MDwise and Walgreens are hosting a Back on Track Health Fair from 4 to 6 p.m. at Walgreens, 925 S. Green River Road in Evansville. All routine childhood vaccinations, including measles/mumps/rubella, polio and ...

By Jeffrey Wheeler, M.D. Every once in a while, lead poisoning generates big headlines. Earlier this summer, 300,000 children’s cups were recalled due to higher-than-allowed lead levels. More recently, the state of New York sued a landlord for exposing children to lead paint. When you hear about those stories, it’s easy to feel bad for the people affected but not get concerned for your family. After all, those stories happen in other places. Lead poisoning isn’t a concern in Indiana, right? Wrong. We mi...

INDIANAPOLIS (October 9, 2023) – In its ongoing efforts to increase access to healthcare for Hoosiers, MDwise has hired Dr. Lisa Knowles, DDS, as its director of dental programs. "Oral health is critical to achieving overall health and well-being,” said Jessica Cromer, president and CEO of MDwise. “With her knowledge and expertise, Dr. Knowles will lead our oral health strategies and initiatives advancing oral health equity for Hoosiers.” Dr. Knowles has practiced in a variety of clinical settings. A gr...

Indiana Alzheimer’s Walks Oct. 7: Fort Wayne and LaPorte County (Michigan City) Oct. 8: Columbus and Jasper Oct. 21: Lafayette By Jeffrey Wheeler, M.D., Medical Director, MDwise There’s understandably a lot of fear surrounding Alzheimer’s. After all, it’s a terrible disease that kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, and its symptoms can be baffling and debilitating. However, as understandable as those fears are, they’re complemented by a pair of myths that we simply can’t al...