About the California Diabetes Program

The California Diabetes Program was established in 1981 within the California Department of Public Health (formerly the California Department of Health Services) and is primarily funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The Institute on Health and Aging at the University of California, San Francisco provides fiscal administration for the program. We work in partnership with organizations in California and nationwide to:

• Improve the quality of care in Health Care Delivery Systems
• Provide Communications to increase awareness about diabetes
• Offer leadership, guidance, and resources for Community Health Interventions
• Conduct Surveillance to monitor statewide diabetes health status and risk factors
• Guide Public Policy to support people with and at risk for diabetes

As a coordinating leader for diabetes prevention and control in California, the California Diabetes Program is guided by national initiatives and statewide goals, as well as community input. Our work ranges from supporting system-wide improvements in health care delivery systems, to developing peer-to-peer education programs led by community volunteers. We promote proven methodologies including the Chronic Care Model and the team approach to care.

The California Diabetes Program supports primary prevention efforts that engage industry, building and community planners, schools, workplaces, and places of worship to improve access to healthy foods and daily physical activity. In particular, we work to increase primary prevention efforts in health care delivery systems such as medical groups and health plans that can implement broad sweeping initiatives for millions of Californians in the clinical setting.

History

The program began with a staff of two and has grown to ten fulltime employees. Originally called the California Diabetes Control Program, the name was changed to California Diabetes Prevention and Control Program in 2003 when the results from a national clinical trial concluded that type 2 diabetes was preventable. In 2005, we simplified our name to the California Diabetes Program.

In 2004, the California Diabetes Program was selected as one of five top-performing state diabetes programs in the nation and our staff continue to serve in leadership positions in national, statewide, and grass-roots collaboratives working to reduce health disparities, improve the quality of treatment people receive in their health care system, and integrate primary prevention efforts to reduce the prevalence of all chronic disease. The CDC continues to be the primary source of funding for the California Diabetes Program.

Meet the staff who make the California Diabetes Program possible.

Strategic Planning to Maximize Impact

In 2003, the California Diabetes Program launched a planning and assessment process to provide a framework for achieving state and national objectives. The goal was to coordinate efforts, fill gaps, and strengthen the multi-sector community to prevent and control diabetes in California.

California's Plan for Diabetes 2003-2007 creates a roadmap for action and stresses the importance of increased data collection and evaluation of diabetes control efforts. The Plan was developed with input from many stakeholders and belongs to the people of California. Needs and interventions are stressed for high-risk populations such as ethnic groups, overweight children and adolescents, older adults and the economically disadvantaged.

Diabetes Public Health System Assessment consisted of two day-long forums in 2003 to identify strengths and weaknesses within the California Diabetes Public Health System. Stakeholders clearly stated they wanted the California Diabetes Program to serve as the coordinating leader statewide and develop a way to improve communication in order to share best practices, resources, intervention models, and data.

Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) was designed to translate California’s Plan for Diabetes and the Assessment results into action for the California Diabetes Program and all organizations working to prevent and control diabetes. The process involved nine community meetings for stakeholder input. Specific priorities were established.

Project Highlights

Diabetes Information Resource Center (DIRC)

DIRC is a web-based portal for diabetes information, resources, and data. It is housed on the program’s Web site and was designed for organizations throughout California to contribute content and build a depository of information that is readily accessible to battle against diabetes.

Cal Diabetes News

This quarterly e-bulletin includes snippets of useful information about diabetes prevention and control in California. It includes DIRC highlights and traffic information, the latest information from the National Diabetes Education Program, updates from the Diabetes Coalition, grant opportunities, and other news you can use!  Register to receive Cal Diabetes News.

Basic Guidelines for Diabetes Care Tools and Programs

The Basic Guidelines for Diabetes Care are clinical guidelines to aid health care providers in delivering quality diabetes care. Various tools for patients, community health workers, medical assistants, and diabetes clinicians reinforce the implementation of the Guidelines. They include:

Basic Guidelines for Diabetes Care packet – Evidence-based tools for clinicians including user-friendly guidelines, patient flow sheet, and treatment algorithms.

Professional Guidelines Presentation – A clinician-to-clinician PowerPoint presentation

Diabetes Health Record card – Patient tool in 14 languages.

Take Charge! -  Available as a PowerPoint presentation in 14 languages or video in 2 languages.

Diabetes Consumer Action Groups – A peer-to-peer education program led by volunteers with diabetes. The curriculum is available in 2 languages.

Diabetes Care Coordinator Program – A train-the-trainer curriculum designed to educate the office assistant to be an important member of the diabetes health care delivery team.

Tobacco Cessation and Diabetes

In 2004, the California Diabetes Program expanded the promotion of the California Smokers’ Helpline to target people with diabetes. Special funding for this project is provided by the CDC and the Tobacco Control Section of the California Department of Public Health.  Activities include:

Be Proactive tool kit for health care providers

Direct mail and public relations campaign

U.S. Mexico Border Diabetes Project

The California Diabetes Program, along with partners in the U.S. and Mexico, is conducting a bi-national study and intervention to reduce the impact of diabetes within the U.S./Mexico border region. 

Phase One, completed in 2005, was a prevalence study of diabetes, pre-diabetes, and obesity/overweight in the Border region.  Results show that among the 7.5 million adults living at the U.S./Mexico Border, 15.7% have diabetes. This is more than twice the prevalence rate of California.

Phase Two is a pilot to study the effectiveness of an intervention using community health workers, aimed to improve diabetes self-management and to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes among those at risk. 

California Diabetes Surveillance System

This system includes national and statewide survey data, vital statistics and hospital discharge data, health care system data, and local and community data. Resources include:

2005 Diabetes in California Counties, Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Resources

Maps — Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes Trends Among Adults in the U.S.

Primary Prevention Pilot

California was selected as one of the sites funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct a primary prevention pilot in three areas: Surveillance, System Dynamics Modeling, and Community Interventions.