Catholic Health Services of Long Island

In New York State, an estimated 4.5 million people have prediabetes, a condition which heightens a person’s risk for developing diabetes and its complications.

While curbing the diabetes epidemic is a daunting task, strong evidence has emerged in support of strategies to prevent diabetes. Specifically, the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) was identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an effective, evidence-based public health program. This lifestyle intervention has been shown to help participants lose 5–7% of their body weight and reduce their risk of developing diabetes by nearly 60%. Building on previous work to replicate the NDPP, NYHealth issued a request for proposals, Laying the Groundwork to Scale Up the National Diabetes Prevention Program in New York State, to help disseminate and grow the NDPP. Through this initiative, NYHealth awarded grants to organizations to implement, expand, and secure the sustainability of the NDPP in community-based settings across the State. NYHealth awarded Catholic Health Services of Long Island (CHSLI) a grant to participate in this initiative.

With NYHealth funding, grantees of this initiative reached communities with high rates of diabetes and prediabetes, making this effective program available to New Yorkers in places where they live, work, and worship. The grant awards supported a range of activities to help organizations implement and grow the NDPP, including the expansion of existing programs; communication, outreach, education activities that obtained a steady flow of participants; and development of business plans to ensure the sustainability of the program. Specifically, CHSLI offered three NDPP cycles consisting of 10-20 participants per class at different sites on Long Island. It collaborated with the Suffolk County Department of Health and the American Association of Diabetes Educators to promote the NDPP and refer participants to the program. Finally, CHSLI participated in a master training program and provided additional NDPP materials to the population it serves.

View a complete list of Laying the Groundwork grantees.