My practicum this summer is with the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) local chapter out of Denver, Colorado. The ADA has a strong presence in Denver and Northern Colorado with many activities like the annual Expo, Tour de Cure (cycling event), and Step Out (walking event), plus community groups for people with type 1, type 2, and families affected by diabetes. In Southern Colorado, ADA’s presence tends to decrease while the prevalence and incidence of diabetes increases. The ADA recently hired a manager to improve people’s access to the ADA’s resources and establish a better foundation for the ADA in Southern Colorado. The purpose of my practicum is to assist this manager in this endeavor. We have several projects we are working on together.

Stop Diabetes at Work: This is a national program through the ADA. They are working to establish a network of community resources to provide aspects of a worksite wellness program specific to diabetes. There are three main areas of wellness: nutrition, exercise, and diabetes-related care. Community resources are identified to partner within one or more of these areas, such as yoga instructors, trainers, the health department, and health care professionals. Companies can then work with the ADA to bring these community partners into their location for a brief worksite wellness campaign.

My job in this program is to:

1. Identify potential community partners to provide the wellness education activity
2. Put all the pieces together in one package to market out to prospective companies
3. Identify potential companies within the community that want a wellness program specific to diabetes

 Mission Delivery Committee: This committee is made up of local key stakeholders passionate about decreasing diabetes in our community. The committee assesses the needs and resources surrounding diabetes and works to bridge the gap between the two. One project the committee is working on is called Living With Type 2. This is a new program with the ADA that is being piloted in Southern Colorado. Free workshops are offered once a quarter to the community. Each workshop focuses on a different topic: nutrition, exercise, stress management, and medications; provides a speaker on the topic, and activity surrounding it.

My job in this program is to:

1. Gather community resources to partner with us, such as the YMCA, health care professionals, and massage therapists…
2. Assessing the needs within the community to tailor and develop each workshop with speaker, activity, and location
3. Develop a marketing scheme for the program to get the word out to healthcare professionals, people affected by diabetes and the community in general
4. Evaluate the effectiveness of the program, such as, is it meeting the needs of the community and is it feasible and sustainable to be used in other locations around the nation

Analysis of 2013 EXPO in Denver: The ADA holds an annual Expo in Denver to provide screenings, education, networking, and resources to the area. On average 8,000 people attend.

My job in this program is to:

1. Provided a follow up survey to participants through e-mail and phone calls
2. Analyze the data received and present it to key stakeholders with the ADA in Denver