NIHB Hosts Special Diabetes Program for Indians Luncheon Seminar
On September 25, 2012, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) hosted a Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) Luncheon Seminar at the NIHB 40th Anniversary and 29th Annual Consumer Conference and Celebration in Denver, Colorado at the Downtown Denver Sheraton Hotel. The two-hour Seminar featured a panel of Congressional leaders, Tribal leaders, top scientists, and researchers. Each panelist provided unique perspectives on how SDPI is addressing diabetes as well as securing renewal of the program this year.
The Seminar was moderated by Gale Marshall (Choctaw Nation), an SDPI consultant for the Indian Health Service (IHS) Division of Diabetes. Panelists included: Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO-1), Co-Chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus; Buford L. Rolin (Chairman, Poarch Band of Creek Indians), Chair Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee, NIHB Board Member (Nashville); Dr. Spero M. Manson (Pembina Chippewa), Director, Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health; Tekisha Everette, Managing Director-Federal Government Affairs, American Diabetes Association; James Buckles, Executive Director, Rocky Mountain Chapter, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; and Shondra McCage (Chickasaw Nation), Chair, Awakening the Spirit/American Diabetes Association.
As the Seminar’s Keynote Speaker, Congresswoman DeGette provided the Seminar’s keynote address and spoke about her role in educating members of Congress and their staff about diabetes and legislative activities that would improve diabetes research, education, and treatment. Congresswoman DeGette’s Capitol Hill perspective provided insight on saving billions of dollars of health care costs through the prevention and treatment of diabetes complications through diabetes funding. Buford Rolin, Chair of the Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee, gave a tribal perspective on how Tribes have been able to change the diabetes landscape in Indian Country through SDPI funding and how implementation of diabetes treatment and prevention programs is important to reducing diabetes in Indian Country. Dr. Spero Manson spoke about the role of the SDPI Coordinating Center and the extraordinary health outcomes being realized by Indian Country through SDPI Grantee data.
Additional perspectives were provided by two of NIHB’s valued partners, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Tekisha Everette of ADA spoke about the value of partnerships between key stakeholders and how to collectively utilize resources in engaging stakeholders on support for diabetes legislation. James Buckles of JDRF spoke about Type 1 Diabetes research through the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) and how SDP research continues to improve the lives of people and that SDP renewal will enable clinical trials in process to continue uninterrupted. Shondra McCage of Awakening the Spirit addressed key points on how SDPI grantees are sharing Best Practices and employing strategies on educating key stakeholders on the significance of continuing funding diabetes education programs in tribal communities.
We can now show, through data, that SDPI programs are working and have delivered a strong return on the federal investment. SDPI programs have demonstrated that the risk of developing diabetes and the risk of developing complications for those with diabetes can be significantly reduced. SDPI has put Indian Country on a path to a diabetes-free future. Risk factors such as blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels have all been reduced through the SDPI’s Healthy Heart Programs intensive clinic and multidisciplinary team-based case management efforts. Additionally, data shows that the incidence of diabetes has been reduced by 57%, equal to the original National Institutes of Health Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) study, the gold standard in diabetes prevention.
Established by Congress in 1997, the SDPI was a response to the diabetes epidemic among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). The program has become our nation’s most strategic and effective federal effort in combating diabetes in Tribal communities. Today, SDPI is funded at a level of $150 million per year and supports 404 diabetes treatment and prevention programs in 35 states. This federal investment in community-driven, culturally appropriate programs has led to significant advances in diabetes education, prevention, and treatment. It is making a real difference in the lives of people who must manage diabetes on a daily basis.
NIHB would like to thank all the Tribal leaders, Tribal health directors, SDPI program directors, Hospital and Clinic Administrators, and Indian health decision makers who attended the Seminar. We encourage you to collectively take this information back to your communities and inform the thousands of people across Indian Country of the significant advances in diabetes prevention, education, and treatment. Let us continue to work together and stay involved with key stakeholders to help ensure this vital program remains in Indian Country.
Please continue to regularly visit the SDPI Resource Center for additional SDPI information and updates on SDPI developments.
