Developing Community Partnerships to Promote Diabetes Prevention and Improve Diabetes Care in Underserved Areas

Objective:Innovative, community partnerships are needed to reduce disparities related to diabetes care and diabetes-related outcomes in underserved, low-income communities. Residents of these communities face numerous barriers to diabetes prevention and management. A community approach is needed to remove these barriers through the provision of education, social support, and primary care.

Methods:The Baylor Health Care System sought to develop partnerships with community entities as part of the implementation of a multifaceted, health equity improvement and outreach model to address diabetes disparities in an underserved, predominantly African American community in South Dallas.

Results:A partnership with the City of Dallas enabled the transformation of a recreation center into a health and wellness institute featuring a multidisciplinary team approach to primary, secondary, and tertiary care. Partnerships with local churches facilitated dissemination of diabetes initiatives as church members were trained as community health workers with diabetes-specific expertise and commissioned to educate their peers about diabetes and assist them with diabetes self-management.

Conclusion:The formation of innovative community partnerships can create resources in underserved communities that enable residents to overcome barriers to diabetes management and prevention. These partnerships may be the key to reducing diabetes related disparities in underserved communities.  Future research will examine the impact of these partnerships on community members’ diabetes-related knowledge, behaviors, and health outcomes.