Education and Awareness

African-American Diabetes Conference

Held every November in observance of National Diabetes Awareness Month, the conference targets people living with diabetes, their caretakers, healthcare professionals, and other interested community members. Participants place an emphasis on innovative programs in diabetes education and self-management for controlling the disease. There is a minimal ($5-$10) charge for the conference and registration is required. Each year concurrent sessions are held on foot and eye care, nutrition, physical activity, depression, medication and monitoring, etc. Past co-sponsors of the conference have been the Cardiovascular Health Division and the Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control.

Diabetes Detention Initiative

The focus of the Diabetes Detention Initiative (DDI) is to help people understand their risk and how the symptoms (which may or may not be present), and assist high risk people in linking with various health care systems in the United States. The initiative was launched by the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson in November 2003 during American Diabetes Month in ten sites throughout the United States. The ten states selected to be a part of the Initiative are divided into two categories with NY, WV, MI, OK, KS as roll-out states - meaning they began the Initiative when Secretary Thompson announced it in November 2003; and SC, MA, WY, WA are evaluation site states - meaning they collected data on individuals requesting to be tested without knowledge of the Initiative. The evaluation states announced their participation in the DDI on April 1, 2004. South Carolina’s site for the DDI is located in Orangeburg, SC, with The Family Health Center (CHC in Orangeburg) as one of the major participants.

Health Fairs

It takes a lot of planning and organizational skills to bring together a successful health fair and should begin at least six months before the target date. A health fair is an event to:

IMARA Woman Magazine Partnership

The SC DPCP along with the Office of Minority Health has a continued collaboration with IMARA Woman Magazine, the only statewide magazine targeting women of color in South Carolina, to increase exposure of African Americans to information and programs which promote diabetes awareness, prevention, and control on four diabetes related projects.

Office of Minority Health

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) has partnered with the DPCP to ensure that appropriate educational awareness messages are developed and disseminated using culturally competent media tools to reach African Americans and other minorities. Through a continued partnership with “IMARA Woman Magazine” OMH and the SC DPCP address diabetes and its related risk factors through culturally appropriate health promotion and risk reduction messages. OMH has provided technical assistance in the planning and implementation of the African-American Diabetes Conference, planning and implementation of the US Department of Health and Human Services Diabetes Detection Initiative (DDI), and serves on the Diabetes Today Advisory Council (DTAC) where they provide leadership in the recruitment and retention of active members to assist in the planning and implementation of strategies to increase awareness regarding diabetes early detection, prevention and self-management. OMH has continued to serve on the Diabetes Initiative of South Carolina (DSC) Board, a collaborative effort between SC DHEC, MUSC, and the American Diabetes Association, as well as other organizations across the State, to develop and implement a comprehensive statewide plan of community outreach programs, health professional education, and diabetes surveillance.

Pneumonia/Flu Campaign

Collaboration for the 2004 Flu and pneumonia Campaign begin in July. Committee representatives included Carolina Medical Review, Companion Health Care, Senior Resources, Inc., Prevention Partners, and Maxim Healthcare. DHEC offices represented included the Immunization Bureau, the Office of Minority Health, Region 5 Public Health Office and the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program. The new campaign will consist of the 2003 poster format with changes to include the new guidelines that women at any stage of pregnancy can now get the flu shot. The updated poster should be available by September 1st. Contact Barbara Wright-Mallory at (803) 545-4475 to get posters and other materials for your community campaign.

REACH 2010

REACH 2010 Charleston and Georgetown Diabetes Coalition is a community driven, diverse diabetes coaltion working to eliminate health disparities of more than 12,000 African American adults with diagnosed diabetes. REACH 2010 - Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health – is a national, demonstration project funded by the US Health and Human Services through the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Coalition offers diabetes education and helps people build skills to better manage their diabetes. More than 23 organizations and agencies make up the Coalition, which works through a collaborative network of contracted partners. Five lay community health advisors lead REACH 2010’s Charleston and Georgetown Diabetes Coalition educational activities. Activities include collaborative program planning, walk and talk groups, home and telephone visits, group educational sessions, health care visits, health and information fairs, supports groups, grocery store tours, and links to resources.