Our Program

Every year, there are over one million lower extremity amputations due to diabetes-related complications worldwide, 82,000 of them in the United States.1 With this statistic in mind, the Diabetic Rural Outreach Project was started in 2005. It is a privately funded program designed to identify, monitor and treat diabetic patients in underserved areas who are at risk of lower extremity amputation. Utilizing a multi-disciplinary approach to screening and treatment, our network of primary care physicians, vascular surgeons, podiatrists, endocrinologists and nurse practitioners coordinate patient care.

Through early identification of the patients at greatest risk, and aggressive treatment, DROP's aim is to reduce or eliminate the need for amputation as a treatment option.

"It is unacceptable that so much disability and death are caused by leg amputation when the solutions are clear and affordable. Small investments in prevention and education can mean fewer leg amputations, increased quality of life for individuals and dramatic reductions in health care costs." - Dr. Catherine Le Gales-Camus, Assistant Director-General for non-communicable diseases, United Nations World Health Organization.

With the worldwide prevalence of diabetes exceeding 200 million cases and predicted to rise to more than 300 million by 2025,1 new strategies for intervention and treatment are critical. With rural networks and wound care centers in Asia, the United States and the Caribbean, DROP's aim is to play a global role in the reduction of diabetes-related lower extremity amputations.