The award-winning band The Jonas Brothers and their mother, Denise Jonas, have teamed up with NDEP to appeal to young people with diabetes and their families to promote diabetes control in new print public service announcements (PSAs). In one PSA*, Nick (who has type 1 diabetes), Kevin, and Joe are pictured along with the message that Kevin and Joe are supporting Nick as he manages his diabetes.

Another PSA* was developed to alert parents of young people with diabetes to resources, and pictures Denise and Nick. Both PSAs highlight NDEP as a resource. Please note that permission to use the print PSAs expires June 1, 2010.

These copyright-free PSAs can be downloaded and added to any newsletter or publication, and reprinted with your organization’s logo*. The print PSAs complement the Jonas Brothers 30- and 60-second radio PSAs released in March, which can be downloaded and distributed to your local radio stations. Permission to use the radio PSAs expires March 31, 2010.

NDEP’s long-awaited Road to Health Toolkit is now being promoted to community health workers (CHWs), CHW trainers, and health professionals working to prevent type 2 diabetes in Hispanic/Latino and African American/African Ancestry communities through meeting presentations and webinars. Feedback from meeting attendees has provided valuable input on how to better promote the toolkit.

NDEP’s Hispanic/Latino and African American/African Ancestry Work Groups recently sponsored a Road to Health Café during the April Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Diabetes Translation Conference in Long Beach, California. During the Café, participants were immersed in the toolkit materials and spent most of their time in discussions about how the toolkit could be implemented in their states or communities. These work groups also hosted webinars to provide a refresher on the toolkit, a preview of upcoming training materials, and information about dissemination efforts already underway. A free recording of NDEP’s Road to Health Toolkit Training Webinar is now available.

The toolkit proves to have wider application. UPS, Ingersoll Rand, and other companies are piloting use of the toolkit in their worksites with their “health coaches.” Evaluation efforts will provide valuable information in evaluating the toolkit and determining how well its content applies to worksites.  

To order your copy of the English-language toolkit, visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org or call 1-888-693-NDEP (6337). Spanish-language components of the toolkit will be available later this summer.

Judith Fradkin, M.D., director of the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health recently promoted NDEP’s Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent Type 2 Diabetes. campaign on NIH Radio.

During the interview, Dr. Fradkin, who serves on NDEP’s Executive Committee, discussed pre-diabetes and steps people can take to prevent type 2 diabetes.

The interview can be found in its entirety at www.nih.gov/news/radio/may2009/20090507diabetes.htm.

NDEP is proud to announce the launch of our redesigned website, www.YourDiabetesInfo.org! The redesign was based on formal usability testing and partner feedback. The user-friendly and easy-to-navigate site allows you to find free diabetes resources and information on partner activities fast. Highlights include a new Partner section, a sortable list of publications, and a reorganized Resources section (formerly known as “Campaign Tools”). In the coming weeks, we appreciate your patience as we work through technical issues on the site.

NDEP invites partners to participate in a 30-minute informational webinar for a guided tour of the site and tips on using its new features and tools. You can call in, listen, and follow along on your computers as we navigate you through the site. The webinar will be offered on two different dates, so you can choose the one that works best for you: Tuesday, July 21, at 2 p.m. E.T., or Friday, July 31, at 2 p.m. E.T. To register, send an email to Rachel Byrd, rbyrd@hagersharp.com.

Former U.S. Surgeon General, David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., and past NDEP Chair James R. Gavin III, M.D., Ph.D., will give special addresses at this year’s NDEP Partnership Network Meeting being held August 17-18 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Tom Harkin Global Communication Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Gavin will open the meeting on August 17 and Dr. Satcher will give the closing address. This meeting is open to community leaders, diabetes advocates, diabetes program coordinators, diabetes educators, health care providers, health communications professionals, and those interested in diabetes prevention and control.

Join your colleagues, friends, and partners as we showcase “The Power of NDEP in Your Community.” The complete meeting agenda, lodging, and other information are available on CDC’s NDEP website, www.cdc.gov/diabetes/ndep/partner_conference.htm.

Register today at www.cdc.gov/diabetes/ndep/partner_conference.htm. Early bird registration ends August 5.

We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta!

As part of National Diabetes Awareness Month in November, NDEP is introducing a new control message for the Control Your Diabetes. For Life. campaign. The message is based on recent findings from the follow-up to the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study, which showed that newly diagnosed people with diabetes who had good glucose control from the start had fewer problems with their eyes, nerves, and kidneys, and fewer heart attacks years later.

NDEP conducted focus groups with people with diabetes to gather feedback for the new message. The majority of participants wanted a strong message about the seriousness of diabetes. The result was the development of a message that recognizes that diabetes management may not be easy, but it’s worth it. The message encourages people with the tagline “I did it, so can you,” and then identifies an action step of “make a plan.”

We encourage you to promote our new message beginning in November for National Diabetes Awareness Month and beyond. With many voices echoing a single message, we hope it will reach the millions of people with diabetes and those who care for them. To help you spread the word, we are distributing promotional kits later this month to NDEP partners with a CD of materials in English and Spanish that your organization can adapt and tailor.

For more information or to request a kit, contact Rachel Byrd at rbyrd@hagersharp.com.

NDEP is currently promoting questions to ask your health care team using a new feature article entitled, “Five Questions to Ask Your Health Care Team About Your Type 2 Diabetes”* authored by NDEP Chair Martha Funnell, M.S., R.N., C.D.E. to general print and online publications. The article provides five key questions that people with type 2 diabetes can ask their health care team during their routine check-up to learn more about managing their disease. For more tips on managing diabetes, read NDEP’s 4 Steps to Control Your Diabetes. For Life.* brochure.

NDEP encourages you to promote the feature article to local media and to your partners. For example, add your organization’s logo,* name, mission, and contact information to highlight how you and NDEP are working together. Then submit the article to your local newspaper or promote it in your organization’s newsletter.

Information about diabetes and swine flu (H1N1 Flu) is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For resources in English and Spanish, go to www.cdc.gov/diabetes. For the latest information on swine flu, go to www.cdc.gov/flu/swine.

The Medicare Diabetes Screening Project is offering awards of up to $2,500 to local organizations for efforts to promote diabetes screening among seniors. To learn more or to get an application (due July 10, 2009), visit www.screenfordiabetes.org.

In June, NDEP will distribute a blast email to the workplace wellness community in recognition of Men’s Health Month. The email will underscore the importance of reaching men at the workplace regarding health issues, and the resources available at www.diabetesatwork.org.

In July, NDEP will distribute a new feature article entitled “African Americans: Lose Weight, Lower Risk for Type 2 Diabetes”* to African American print and online publications. This article highlights ways African Americans can become more physically active and make healthy food choices. For more tips for African Americans on preventing type 2 diabetes, read NDEP’s More Than 50 Ways to Prevent Diabetes* tip sheet.

In August, NDEP will distribute a new feature article highlighting the Tips for Teens tip sheet series to parent and teen print and online publications. For more information on teens and diabetes, take NDEP’s online Quiz for Teens with Diabetes.  

In each issue of NEWS & NOTES look for NDEP promotional resources that are ready for you to personalize, customize, and distribute. For example, use our printer-ready public service announcements to make diabetes posters for upcoming events, health fairs, or your office.

Use our customizable campaign resources to promote diabetes awareness in your community. Or take our feature articles, press releases, and public service announcements, and add your organization’s logo*.

By using our promotional resources, everybody wins. Your community newspaper receives a story with important health information for its readers, your organization receives good publicity, and you help NDEP continue to be the nation’s No. 1 resource for free information and materials on diabetes control and prevention. Each issue of NEWS & NOTES features resources that tie into the following month’s promotions and can help us promote NDEP together.

Stop by and visit NDEP at the following upcoming exhibits and presentations:

• American Diabetes Association’s 69th Scientific Sessions 2009
  June 5-9, 2009, New Orleans, LA
  The NDEP presentation will be on June 8 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. during a session entitled, “Helping You Change the Way Diabetes is Treated – In Your Practice, in Your Community, and in the Lives of Your Patients – An Update From the National Diabetes Education Program.” Highlights include presentations from Judith Fradkin, M.D., Ann Albright, Ph.D., R.D., Roger Chene, M.P.H., R.D., and Martha Funnell, M.S., R.N., C.D.E.
• The Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Meeting
  June 10-13, 2009, Washington, DC
• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners’ 24th National Conference
  June 17-21, 2009, Nashville, TN
  Martha Funnell, M.S., R.N., C.D.E., will present June 17 at 1:30 p.m., “What’s New in Diabetes.”
• Association of Nutrition Services Agencies/National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Program Conference
  June 24-26, 2009, Atlanta, GA
  NDEP materials for older adults will be exhibited.
• National Association of School Nurses’ 41st Annual Conference
  June 25-28, 2009, Boston, MA
  Nichole Bobo, R.N., M.S.N., A.N.P., will present an overview of the NDEP School Guide on June 26 at 1:15 p.m. and June 27 at 1 p.m. during sessions entitled, “What’s New in the 2009 NDEP Diabetes School Guide?”
• American Association of Diabetes Educators 36th Annual Meeting
  August 5-8, 2009, Atlanta, GA
  Joanne Gallivan, M.S., R.D., and Nichole Bobo, R.N., M.S.N., A.N.P., will present an overview of the NDEP School Guide on August 5 at 10:45 a.m. during a session entitled, “Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: Strategies and Tools for Diabetes Management at School.”
  Joanne Gallivan and Clarice Brown will present on August 7 at 1:30 p.m. during a session entitled, “Using Information from National Surveys to Guide Clinical Encounters.”