IP Casino Resort & Spa Announces Comprehensive Diabetes Management Program for Associates.

March 28, 2011

Diabetes Care Group Selected to Implement Program; Opens Office in Biloxi

Biloxi, Miss. – IP Casino Resort & Spa will offer an innovative new healthcare program for its associates who have been diagnosed with diabetes and pre-diabetes through a partnership with Diabetes Care Group (DCG). Medical specialists at DCG will implement their unique, comprehensive approach to diabetes care to improve the well-being of IP associates and enable IP to reduce or avoid preventable costs of the disease.

“We believe the proven solutions of Diabetes Care Group will be a welcomed benefit for our associates and their families. We are all seeking effective ways to manage diabetes, which is an unnecessary, preventable burden for families and a major public health issue,” said Jon Lucas, President and General Manager of IP. “We take our role as a leader in workplace innovation seriously and providing our more than 2,000 associates and their dependents with state-of-the-art healthcare solutions is a central part of our mission as a responsible employer and public citizen.”

Diabetes Care Group has a remarkable 10-year track record of success in empowering individuals and their families to manage their diabetes. Its performance-driven business model includes objective measurements of success and direct links between improved health and reduced preventable costs.

“It is a great privilege to work with IP and its associates to improve the health and well-being of individuals with diabetes, and to reduce the medical costs for IP,” said Marshall Bouldin, M.D., chief medical officer of Diabetes Care Group. “IP has a strong reputation as a community leader and an organization that cares deeply about its employees and invests in their health and welfare. As a results-driven organization, we have many values in common with IP. It will be a great partnership,” he said.

With more than 1,000 rooms and nine award-winning restaurants, IP is a leading resort destination that distinguishes itself by emphasizing the quality of its staff and service, anchored in a work environment focused on its associates’ well-being. One of the largest employers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, IP has also been a leader in charitable giving, civic involvement and public service.

DCG provides programs specifically designed to allow self-insured employers and health plans to eliminate or reduce preventable medical costs associated with diabetes. While its focus is diabetes, DCG produces comparable outcomes and results across other key measures of metabolic health, including blood pressure, cholesterol and obesity.

The company will open a new office on the Gulf Coast at 967 Cedar Lake Road in Biloxi on April 4. The Diabetes Care Group team of specialized health care professionals includes board- certified physicians, nurse educators, registered dieticians and technicians who provide comprehensive medical management and education services for diabetics at one location. The Gulf Coast office will include an on-site lab and comfortable spaces for patient consultation and education. Diabetes and nutritional education are offered at the center in one-on-one and group settings.

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, and amputations in the U.S. It is also a major cause of heart disease and stroke. Although diabetes and its related expenses are avoidable with proper care, the disease is growing at epidemic rates. More than 8% of the U.S. population has diabetes and more than 11% of Mississippians have the disease. Nearly 30% of Americans older than 65 have diabetes, and more than 35% of adults and 50% of people over the age of 65 in the U.S. have pre-diabetes. Most Americans born today can expect to have the disease in their lifetime.

For more information please visit www.ipbiloxi.com