SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Major League Baseball Dominican Development Alliance (MLB-DDA) teamed up with the Chicago Cubs on April 9 to donate $50,000 to the Institute of Latin American Concern (ILAC) to fund diabetes and hypertension educational programs in Northern Dominican Republic.

"This donation will allow 200 diabetic and 200 high blood pressure patients to learn how to care for themselves, while reliably taking medication and self monitoring their disease process," said Robert Clink, Deputy Controller of USAID's Mission in the Dominican Republic.

Five diabetic nurses will educate the 160 ILAC health care workers. Additionally, the nurses will travel to small communities nearby to educate patients.

"The project will focus primarily on improving lifestyle, diet, exercise, foot care, self monitoring using glucose monitors and test strips, and medication monitoring," Clink explained.

In addition, the project will supply health care workers with teaching materials such as handouts, wall charts, and audio/visual formats to help them continue educating identified patients.

ILAC has provided education and health intervention programs for over 34 years. Dental care, hernia surgery, tonsillectomies, eye and ear surgery, orthopedic surgery, neonatal care, and other health care related activities are performed by a team of 160 health care workers and medical personnel from a variety of schools including Creighton University, Loyola University in Chicago, St Louis University, Georgetown University, and Washington University in St. Louis.

In addition to supporting this project, the Chicago Cubs have worked with the MLB-DDA to expand a recovery room in Mission ILAC. The MLB-DDA was founded in November 2008 to tap into the potential stemming from the combined resources of the baseball industry to sponsor community outreach programs in the Dominican Republic, a country which currently produces over 20% of all signed baseball players.

For more information about USAID's programs, please visit: www.usaid.gov/. For more information about MLB-DDA, visit www.mlb-dda.org.