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National Diabetes Education Program
Spotlight On Partner Activities
Puerto Rico Diabetes Association
(Asociación Puertorriqueña de Diabetes)
Puerto Rico Diabetes Association: Reaching new heights in diabetes awareness campaigns
Since 1988 the
Puerto Rico Diabetes Association* (APD), has been developing new
methods of creating awareness on how to prevent and control diabetes,
improve the well being of patients who suffer from it, and serve as
support to their families. Today, the APD celebrates the satisfaction of
fulfilling its mission during the past 18 years, and continues to fight
against the third-leading cause of death in Puerto Rico by offering
support and direction to people at high risk or those who have already
been diagnosed with diabetes.
In 2003, the International
Diabetes Federation* reported a dramatic increase in the incidence of
diabetes in Puerto Rico during the last 10 to 12 years. Affected by this
disease throughout the Island were approximately 560,000 people, including
75,000 children and adolescents who represent 15 percent of this total. At a
worldwide level, Puerto Rico occupied an alarming ninth place. In recent
years, Type 2 cases have increased dramatically due to poor eating habits
and lack of physical activity.
With many family members who have diabetes, including
her late father, Elba Blanes, executive director, understood what the
illness meant and was well aware of the problems and the magnitude of the
complications of the disease. Hence, through direct bonding with
professional peers, programs and projects were developed that not only
increased diabetes awareness on the Island, but also brought in additional
funding to the organization.
Many people go through their daily routines without
acknowledging or even showing concern about their health or nutritional well
being. These same people may be unaware of the causes of diabetes and its
symptoms, and many believe that this condition is only prevalent in the
elderly. APD wanted to help Puerto Ricans become more aware of this
dangerous disease that affects so many by creating innovative programs to
educate the Puerto Rican population on diabetes and provide preventive
measures that would reduce the number of new cases of diabetes. In the
beginning it was difficult for APD to obtain grants and other public
funding, and there was little or no budget to carry out its purpose and
plans to
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Develop programs and activities to promote among patients and the general
public a greater understanding of the illness and types of treatments that
are available.
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Promote the interchange of knowledge about diabetes mellitus among doctors
and healthcare professionals, with the objective of improving the quality of
treatment.
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Promote, support and disclose scientific investigations related to
diabetes mellitus.
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Establish a service program aimed at improving the physical and emotional
quality of life of patients with diabetes, their families and the community.
To serve the needs of the community, the APD designed and coordinated the Diabetes Prevention and Control Fair with the help of healthcare providers,
organizations and other community members serving as volunteers. This fair
has since been held in Ponce, Mayagüez, and San Juan. Health screenings and
exhibition booths are available for patients to identify services and
products for diabetes control, and educational talks. Diabetes resource
guides are handed out to participants along with other NDEP resources to
encourage attendants to become more mindful of their health.
The results of having a Diabetes Prevention and Control Fair impacted APD’s
audience greatly. Because of this annual fair, the number of people
interested in diabetes education and control grew. Over time the number of
attendees at the Diabetes Prevention and Control Fair held in San Juan has
more than doubled. Because of the large numbers of participants, instead of
the annual fair, in 2005, the APD held the Diabetes EXPO in a large facility
to accommodate over 5,000 attendees (double the attendance previous years).
Also, because of the popularity of the Fair, a one-day Continuing Medical
Education Program has been included to meet the needs of primary physicians
and other healthcare professionals who work with patients with diabetes. The
program speakers were brought in from the States. Additionally, a kitchen
was set up to demonstrate ways to prepare healthy meals without having to go
over budget.
For more information, contact Elba Blanes, Executive Director, Puerto Rico
Diabetes Association at (787) 2821-0617 or 1-800-281-0617, by e-mail
directoraelbablanes@diabetespr.org
or by fax: (787) 281-7178. Send a written
request to Asociación Puertorriqueña de Diabetes, Attention: Elba Blanes, PR
Box 190842, San Juan, PR 00919-0842
Would you like to develop an intervention activity in your community? See
below for suggested “how to” instructions
- NDEP sample media products (i.e., press releases, public service announcements,
newsletter articles)
- Print budget – consider asking a local printing company to sponsor your
organization. They may print materials for free or a reduced rate.
- Trained staff and volunteers to help with information dissemination and
program development
- List of community health centers, hospital, and clinics to provide proper
information and screenings
- Private public partners (local clinics, health department, corporations)
- A local public venue to hold the fair
- Local media
- Time Required: 6–12 months of planning
- Prepare a short proposal of your ideas (what you want, who to invite,
where to hold the fair). Use the NDEP Web site for assistance with resources
and media.
- Using your proposal, get permission from upper management of your
organization.
- Assemble a planning committee representing members of the community.
- Hold ongoing meetings with your committee.
- Has this been done before? Is there a justified need to improve what has
been done before? How can we improve or expand what has already taken place?
- Who is your target audience? What is the best way to market this event to
them?
- Be sure to have evaluation forms for participants and planners to
complete.
- Ask providers to keep track of the number of participants screened and
sent for follow-up.
* Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service
to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization
by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC
is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web
pages found at this link.
Page last reviewed: September 5, 2007
Page last modified: November 9, 2007
Content Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Diabetes Translation
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