RALEIGH, N.C. (WLOS) — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announced on Nov. 4 the expansion of the Minority Diabetes Prevention Program.
The program provides what it calls “culturally responsive education,” early screenings and personalized resources to help prevent type 2 diabetes.
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The program is meant to support the unique needs of those the NCDHHS serves and close the health care gap for minority populations in the state.
“While diabetes can affect everyone, it continues to disproportionately impact certain groups. Access to prevention and support must reflect the unique needs of those we serve,” NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for Health Debra Farrington said in a written statement.
According to the NCDHHS, the program is helping people with prediabetes lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 58%.
As of 2023, more than 2.7 million North Carolinians have prediabetes according to NCDHHS, and a third (roughly 900,000) of those with prediabetes belong to a racial or ethnic minority group.
“Type 2 diabetes can be prevented — and even reversed in many cases — with early screening and healthy lifestyle support,” said Portia Pope, Ph.D., director of the NCDHHS Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities.
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The NCDHHS says the program is the only free statewide diabetes prevention program focusing specifically on minority populations. It was first established in 2017 by the North Carolina General Assembly. The program’s expansion is part of the department’s way to mark National Diabetes Awareness Month.
Contact your local health department or go to NC Minority Diabetes Prevention Program webpage to find free classes and prevention programs near you. Additional resources are also available through the NC Diabetes Advisory Council’s new Guide to Diabetes Prevention and Management.