About the Native Diabetes Wellness Program
On This Page
The Native Diabetes Wellness Program is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Diabetes Translation. Formerly the National Diabetes Prevention Center, the program was established in 1998 with funding from the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997, Public Law 105-33, and with additional funding from the Indian Health Service's (IHS) Special Diabetes Program for Indians, also authorized under the BBA.
We collaborate with many partners, including American Indian and Alaska Native communities (rural and urban), the Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee, IHS’ Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention and Head Start Program, the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health (NIH), CDC’s Tribal Consultation Advisory Committee, universities, and tribal colleges and universities. Internally, we work with CDC divisions, centers, and our own Division of Diabetes Translation to develop programs designed to improve the health status of American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Vision
Indian Country free of the devastation of diabetes.
Goals
The goals of the Native Diabetes Wellness Program are to—
- Support sustainable, evaluable ecological approaches to promote the
use of traditional foods, physical activity, social support, and health
policy change in communities.
- Share messages, including stories and art, about survival and
traditional ways of health that are remembered, retold, and talked about
in homes, schools, and communities.
- Share and evaluate Native and Western programs, including community
outreach, talking circles, community-based interventions, and diabetes
education in schools with native students.
- Support meaningful tribal consultation at the state and federal levels.
Principles of Practice
The Native Diabetes Wellness Program strives to follow these principles:
- Consult tribal leadership and tribal members.
- Honor federal responsibility to tribal nations.
- Respect and incorporate Native science.
- Share a vision of hope.
- Honor storytelling and the power of stories.
- Establish direct relationships with tribal nations.
- Respect the power of words—keep our word.
- Seek reciprocity and balance.
- Be grateful for our work.
- Reflect critically and deeply.
- Be accountable for our actions.
Contact Us:
- CDC Diabetes Public Inquiries
- 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348
8am-8pm ET
Monday-Friday
Closed Holidays - cdcinfo@cdc.gov
