Newswise — The CDC announced today that AADE has been awarded funding for the next 5 years to bring the National DPP to underserved populations with little or no access to diabetes prevention services. This opportunity is the second that AADE has received from the CDC for diabetes prevention. In the past five years, AADE was able to help AADE accredited DSMES programs expand their offerings to include the National DPP lifestyle change program, with participants meeting weight loss, attendance and other CDC requirements.  

“Our goal over this past five years was to scale and sustain the National DPP within DSMES Programs,” said AADE VP of Science and Practice Leslie Kolb. “Now that CMS has announced that the new Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) will be a covered benefit starting in April 2018, we can focus on priority populations where there is little to no access. Specifically, making sure the program is available and serving at-risk populations such as over-the-road truck drivers; Medicare beneficiaries; Hispanic, Native American and African American communities; and residents of high-incidence states in the diabetes belt.”

Under this CDC-DP17-1705 funding opportunity, AADE will establish new sites to deliver the evidenced-based Lifestyle Change Program in year one. AADE will work with several different partners, including UnidosUS (formerly known as the National Council of La Raza), Omada Health, and the Healthy Truckers Association of America (HTAA) to raise awareness, conduct screenings, expand coverage areas, and promote enrollment activities.

AADE plans to establish sites in areas of the American South and Southwest with high rates of diabetes, and with no current National DPP programs established. States targeted in the project include Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas, and areas in California focusing on underserved Hispanic communities. 

Other initiatives will focus on truck drivers, who tend to have higher rates of type 2 diabetes and can be at risk of losing their jobs. To reach this predominantly male, mobile population, AADE will partner with Omada Health to utilize their evidence based virtual version of the lifestyle change program. Working with HTAA we will also develop education via radio and internet-based programming, and link them to support in their home states.

“Innovations in technology are creating opportunities that increase access for the people with and at risk for diabetes,” said AADE President Nancy D’Hondt, RPh, CDE, FAADE. “Virtual options are both timely and convenient for those who need it most.”

About the AADE Diabetes Prevention Program:

In 2012, AADE was selected by the CDC to expand the reach of the National DPP through existing DSMES programs. Over five years, AADE worked with more than 46 DSMES programs to provide the AADE Diabetes Prevention Program to participants in 14 states, focusing on healthy eating and physical activities. Program staff attended CDC-recognized Lifestyle Coach Trainings on DPP delivery, ensuring clinical staff have the in-depth knowledge needed to provide long-term results. AADE supported the programs with Lifestyle Coach Trainings, webinars, tools, resources, in-person meetings and technical assistance throughout their delivery. Participants of AADE DPP sites showed successful achievement of weight loss and other requirements set forth by the CDC’s Diabetes Prevention and Recognition Program (DPRP).  

About AADE: AADE is a multi-disciplinary professional membership organization dedicated to improving diabetes care through innovative education, management and support. With more than 14,000 professional members including nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, exercise specialists, and others, AADE has a vast network of practitioners working with people who have, are affected by or are at risk for diabetes. Learn more at www.diabeteseducator.org, or visit us on Facebook (American Association of Diabetes Educators), Twitter (@AADEdiabetes) and Instagram (@AADEdiabetes).

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