October Partner Spotlight
Sep 28, 2012
Background
The mission of the Texas Diabetes Institute/University
Health System/Diabetes Education Department is to prevent diabetes
and its complications through health promotion, patient education, professional training, treatment, and research. Through
a comprehensive team of diabetes specialists – family physicians, endocrinologists, renal specialists, orthopedists,
ophthalmologists, dermatologists, podiatrists, and wound care specialists – the Institute works to promote healthy lifestyles
and teach people the skills needed to live with diabetes and avoid serious complications.
Outreach and Promotions
As part of their National Diabetes Month 2011 promotions, the Texas Diabetes Institute used NDEP’s resources to reach minority populations with diabetes – and health care professionals working with patients who have diabetes – with tools and messages to help people make behavior changes to live well.
The Institute hosted a two-day “Diabetes Educator Review Course” for health care professionals. During the course,
NDEP’s behavior change videos were played and highlighted as resources
for health care professionals to use with
their patients. The Institute also held workshops and healthy cooking classes where they distributed NDEP’s
Small Steps. Big Rewards. Your GAME PLAN to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
in English and Spanish. In addition, NDEP posters with messages about managing
and preventing diabetes in English and Spanish were displayed on bulletin
boards throughout the facility.
Through these activities, the Texas Diabetes Institute was able to reach more than 500 patients with diabetes and their family members, and more than 75 health care professionals who work with patients with diabetes. According to the Institute, one of the greatest successes was exposing so many health care professionals to NDEP’s behavior change resources so that they could use them in their own settings in the future.
For more information, contact Elda Balle at Elda.Balle@uhs-sa.com. Visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/DiabetesMonth to explore NDEP’s behavior change tools and promotional resources that you can use to promote National Diabetes Month in your community.
