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Share your life experiences, skills and passions with the African American Diabestes Association.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is,

What are you doing for others?”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Visit Volunteer Match to learn about our current volunteer opportunities.

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Our upcoming Projects

If you have diabetes, you know how challenging it can be to manage. You’re expected to eat a healthy and balanced diet, get plenty of physical activity, monitor your blood glucose (sugar) throughout the day, take your medications as prescribed, and do all of this to reduce your risk for complications. At times it might seem overwhelming, but you can thrive with diabetes, and diabetes care and education can help.

Here are just a few of the special projects the African American Diabetes Association will be implementing.

Eating Healthy Project

The African American Diabetes Association understands nutrition and physical activity are important parts of a healthy lifestyle when you have diabetes. Along with other benefits, following a healthy meal plan and being active can help you keep your blood glucose level, also called blood sugar, in your target range. To manage your blood glucose, you need to balance what you eat and drink with physical activity and diabetes medicine, if you take any. What you choose to eat, how much you eat, and when you eat are all important in keeping your blood glucose level in the range that your health care team recommends.

Stay tuned as we develop our Eating Healthy Project.

Faith Based Diabetes Project

Within Black/African-American communities, faith can carry more weight than medicine. Many Black/African-Americans are deeply connected to their faith community and will turn there for support before seeking help from other agencies. The church serves as the bedrock of spiritual activity, a center of social engagement, an indispensable source of information on all topics and a critical foundation of support in times of crisis. • Faith is “It.” Studies suggest that Black/African-Americans are willing to participate in health education programs such as smoking cessation, blood pressure and cancer screenings when they are held at their churches, mosques, and synagogues. And since the place of worship is often the primary source of information on a wide range of subjects, it offers one of the best ways to reach the widest audience in a safe, trusted environment.

Stay tuned as we develop our African American Diabetes Association, Faith Based Project.

Community Based Organizing Project

The African American Diabetes Association will be providing training on the role of community-based organizations in providing support to African American with diabetes, along with training on the steps involved in planning community-based diabetes activities. and how to Identify resources to support planning, implementing, and evaluating community based diabetes activities.

Stay tuned as we develop our Community Based Organizing Project.

Insulin and Insulin Pump Education Project

Everyone with type 1 diabetes and many people with type 2 need to take insulin to manage their blood sugar levels. For now, there are two options: injecting it with a needle or pen, or using an insulin pump. An insulin pump is a small computerized device. It delivers insulin through a thin tube that goes under your skin.

Through our Insulin and Insulin Pump Education Project the African American Diabetes Association will offer a variety of useful eduational seminars to help African Americans with diabetes develop and maintain an effective self-management plan.

Stay tuned as we develop our Insulin and Insulin Pump Education Project

Cultural Competence Training

Cultural and language differences may engender misunderstanding, lack of compliance, or other factors that negatively influence clinical situations. The African American Diabetes Association plans to develop a self-directed training course designed for physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. This e-learning program will be hosted by the African American Diabetes Association along with its strategic partners to offer up to 9 hours of low-cost CME/CE credits. It will equip health care professionals with awareness, knowledge, and skills to better treat the increasingly diverse U.S. population.

Stay tuned as we develop our Cultural Comptence Training Project.

Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE)

The African American Diabetes Association is committed to expanding the level of Certified Diabetes Educators(CDE's)

What Is a CDE

A CDE is a health care professional like a registered nurse, pharmacist or registered dietician who has training and experience in prediabetes, diabetes, and diabetes management. A person who wants to be a CDE must have training in diabetes and teaching people how to change their behavior. He or she must also have at least 2 years of experience in their profession and 1000 hours teaching diabetes self-management.

Stay tuned as we work to grow the number of African Americans who are Certified Diabetes Educators.