An Everyone with Diabetes Counts initiative
Unmanaged diabetes can have serious and debilitating consequences. It is the most common cause of blindness, kidney failure and amputations in adults, and a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. The Health for Life diabetes initiative works with community partners and physicians to increase opportunities for Diabetes Self-management Education (DSME) among underserved populations. DSME training for persons with diabetes is a comprehensive program that teaches them how to improve their health, quality of life and avoid the complications of the disease.
A Community-Based Approach
Our Health for Life project, as part of the national Everyone with Diabetes Counts initiative, seeks community partners to help teach Diabetes Self-management Education (DSME) classes in underserved populations and help eliminate health disparities. African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as Caucasians.
By working with health care providers, practitioners, certified diabetes educators and community health workers, we seek to improve the quality of life for persons with diabetes by preventing and lessening the severity of complications resulting from the disease. The free DSME classes teach patients about, and assist them with, setting goals for proper nutrition, physical activity, regular check-ups with their physicians, glucose monitoring and consistent medication use.
This effort to affect the health of a population also incorporates sustainability – an independent life for the project. In that regard, we also train health care workers to be DSME educators. The training of additional DSME instructors, who are embedded in community health care, ensures the continuation and spread of diabetes education.
Please join us in reducing disparities among underserved populations with diabetes. This initiative offers free tools and resources, webinars, conferences and recorded events that can help educators and physician practices better care for patients with diabetes.
Participation in this initiative, as a DSME provider or advocate, offers your organization additional benefits and opportunities at no cost, including:
- Training on evidence-based diabetes curriculum
- Education materials and program resources
- Marketing of the DSME program and services
- Support for existing community resources and relationships
- Assistance with data collection and analysis
- Assistance with obtaining accreditation for your diabetes program
Download this fact sheet (PDF) and view the following videos to learn more about this project.