Tucson Area Model Diabetes Program

Sells Service Unit Diabetes Prevention Program
Sells, Arizona


Monica Lopez, Coordinator
E-mail: monica.lopez@ihs.gov

Sells Service Unit
P. O. Box 548
Sells, Arizona 85634
Phone: (520) 383-7333
Fax: (520) 383-7225

Program Description

The Sells Diabetes Prevention Program is located at the Sells Indian Hospital complex in Sells, Arizona. Staff includes a Nutritionist/Director. Community Health Educator, School Health Technician, and an Office Assistant. The Sells Diabetes Prevention Program focuses entirely on the primary prevention of diabetes.

Primary Prevention

• School health "Growing Healthy" comprehensive health curriculum. The curriculum covers growth and development, mental/emotional health, personal health, family life and health, nutrition, disease prevention and control, safety and first aid, consumer health, substance use and abuse, and community and environmental health management.
• The goal is to teach children about health enabling, then to make choices in life with some understanding of how the human body works. The
• Diabetes Prevention Program supplies all the reservation schools, grades K-6, with the Growing Healthy Comprehensive Health Curriculum and teacher training in the curriculum. Program staffs coordinate the modification of the comprehensive health curriculum to make it culturally (Tohono O'odham) specific.
• Health and fitness for people of all ages on the Tohono O'odham Reservation by providing aerobic instructor training and maintaining a fitness center. Aerobic instructors who participate in the training go back to their districts and set up their own fitness programs.

Data/Epidemiology

• Height and weight measurements are taken twice a year of all students in grades K-6.
• Data on participation in fitness activities at the I H S Wellness Center.
  

Education

• Program for the certification of aerobic instructors who go back to their districts and set up their own fitness program.
• Support for the certification of aerobic instructors who give classes at the I H S Wellness Center
• Provide nutritional and health education in the community, schools, etc.
  

Community

• Fun run/walks for children K-12th grade
• Provide health education and program updates to community, tribal government, and school groups
• Participation in the tribal community-based wellness camp.
• Participated in Tribal Community Based fun run/walks and health fairs
• Began holding special even workouts such as the "Spooky Workout" Halloween morning and the "Gobble Gobble Workout" Thanksgiving morning.
• Promoted the D P P to the district representatives who are the Patient Advisory Committee which included a tour of the Wellness Center.

Resource and Product Development

• Developed a schedule of fitness activities that the I H S volunteer instructors are providing to the community.
• Began developing a children's after school fitness program, which will be implemented in 2000.
  

Unique Contributions

• The growing interest and participation in fitness activities that has grown out of providing the aerobic certification training to volunteer members of the community.
• Education provided to schoolchildren about diabetes has generated many letters of appreciation.
  

Challenges

• Staff turnover during F Y 1999 was a huge challenge. At one point, the program was completely without staff.
• Three of the four positions are now filled & the Nutrition Director position will be filled shortly
• The major challenge is regaining the cooperation and trust of the schools and teachers after a long period with little or no communication and interaction. The lapse and turnover in staff that supervises the program has brought about gaps in service to the schools. There has been no new teacher training or updates in the past two to three years. There has also been staff turnover in the schools. The new D P P staff will have ti start from scratch, in some cases, to get the school-based program back on track.
• Another challenge will be with the school based curriculum development/modification. Teachers report that the curriculum and teaching aids re complicated and time consuming.