The Butler Health System and a Wisconsin medical company have received a $200,000 federal grant to help diabetics in rural areas manage their illnesses.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gave the grant to the team of the health system and Wellbe of Madison, Wis., as part of the Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program. The program will use technology to help 5,000 diabetes patients in the area.

The project will serve rural areas of Butler, Venango, Lawrence and Clarion counties with a diabetes support and education system coordinated by the health system and in partnership with the Seneca Medical Center and Clarion Hospital.

Through the use of videoconferencing, provided by Polycom and cloud-based services, patients will access an online education portal as well as support groups and diabetes educators.

Services will be available through the use of smartphones, tablets and laptops as well as in-person through primary care offices and clinics.

“We are always looking for ways to provide high value and quality to our patients,” said Cindy Esser, health systems director of emerging technologies. “By delivering care in an accessible and convenient way, we hope to improve patient experiences and outcomes.”

BHS and Wellbe submitted the grant application to improve the health status and to increase access to diabetes self-management education for people with Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes.

With 365,000 people in the four county service area, Esser said it has been estimated that about 14,000 people have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Esser said the program is expected to begin in the fall.

The goals of the program include improving self-management knowledge, behaviors and health outcomes among patients, as well as establishing a comprehensive self-management education network for patients with diabetes in rural areas, and incorporating health coaching — via videoconferencing and in-person — with educational videos and support groups.

Wellbe will do user research with diabetics to uncover the problems they face with self-management education.

Using these insights, Wellbe will design and implement a plan that works with Butler’s educational programs to help patients and their families manage their diabetes.

Esser said of the more than 77,000 people in BHS’s service area in the county, 10.2 percent have been diagnosed with diabetes. In the state, 9 percent have been diagnosed and across the U.S., 8.3 percent have been diagnosed.

Wellbe works with health providers to allow patients to be partners in their care.

The Butler Health System previously implemented a similar care plan for joint replacement and bariatric surgery designed by Wellbe to provide patients with multiple benefits, including the convenience of online engagement, family involvement, checklists and reminders.