NDEP News & Notes: This National Minority Health Month, Help People Make Healthy Changes to Prevent or Delay Type 2 Diabetes

April is National Minority Health MonthMany racial and ethnic minority populations — including African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians — are disproportionately affected by diabetes. Please share NDEP’s resources, which include practical tips that can help ethnic and minority populations prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

National Foot Health Awareness Month: Diabetes & Your Feet April is National Foot Health Awareness Month, a great time for health care providers to encourage people with diabetes to keep their feet healthy. The NDEP's Take Care of Your Feet for a Lifetime booklet provides simple instructions on how to perform daily foot checks to help people lower their chances of getting diabetes-related foot problems. NDEP’s Working Together to Manage Diabetes (PPOD) toolkit also provides resources to help health care providers collaborate with podiatrists regarding foot and other care.

Exploring Diabetes HealthSense NDEP's Diabetes HealthSense online tool can help you find resources to support people in making changes to live well, whether they have diabetes or are at risk for the disease. Check out the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases’ (NIDDK) What I Need to Know About Eating and Diabetes tip sheet, which can help people with diabetes make smart food choices to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Partners Shine in NDEP's Partner SpotlightThis month, the NDEP’s Partner Spotlight features the Community Health Center of Lubbock, which held a community health worker continuing education training course that incorporated NDEP materials.

National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) Revises Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program (DPRP) Standards  The revised CDC DPRP Standards and Operating Procedures that anchor the National DPP to the science of diabetes were released in January 2015. The Standards, which currently recognize in-person programs, now also acknowledge virtual and distance-learning, lifestyle-change programs.

CDC and AMA Join Forces to Take Urgent Action to Prevent Diabetes STATPrevent Diabetes STAT: Screen, Test, Act - Today™: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Medical Association (AMA) are sounding an alarm about prediabetes because a national effort—which will rely on support from physicians, employers, patients, and community organizations—is required to prevent type 2 diabetes in the United States. Learn more about the initiative and download a tool kit that serves as a guide for physicians and other health care providers on the best methods to screen and refer high-risk patients to diabetes prevention programs in their communities. 

Motivational Interviewing Webinar – May 14 at 12:00 Noon (EDT)NDEP invites you to join the webinar entitled Motivational Interviewing: How and Why it Works for People Living with Diabetes. Speakers will provide a brief overview of motivational interviewing, highlight trainings that have been conducted with multidisciplinary health care providers and peer counselors who serve people with diabetes, discuss the importance of providing a safe environment to explore behavior change issues, and showcase how peer mentors use motivational interviewing in their work. Register here. 

On the Road with NDEPCheck out where NDEP will present or exhibit in the next few months, or download a presentation from a previous event.