While the Coalition engages in various community medical and educational outreach events for diabetes prevention throughout the year, many of these activities occur during our annual Know Your Numbers Diabetes Prevention Screening Campaign, which “kicks-off” in the fall, highlighting November National Diabetes Month, and continues through January.

The Coalition:

• provides free diabetes risk assessments, onsite, rapid-result A1c tests and other health biomarker screenings, prevention, and educational events throughout Palm Beach County at businesses, pharmacies, churches, schools, clinics, and other locations;
• recruits bilingual health care professionals and volunteers for our multi-ethnic and non-English speaking populations;
• offers risk assessment tools and resource materials in English, Spanish, and Creole; and
• when needed, links individuals to other services and/or a health care provider for further assessment.

Held since 2013, Diabetes Awareness Day is the Coalition’s signature community-wide annual event, bringing people together for free diabetes risk screenings with volunteer led activities, contests, partner organizations, and healthy snacks.

A day of learning, while having fun for the whole family!

Working in tandem with our members and community partners, the Diabetes Coalition’s goal is to promote
a healthy lifestyle and increase awareness about diabetes prevention, control, and management. Annually, the Coalition participates in over 30 community-wide events, which include community and employee health fairs, festivals, walks, educational events, and church and school-sponsored health-related initiatives.

Through our Targeted Community Medical and Educational Outreach Initiatives, the goal is to:

• prevent or delay the onset of diabetes through screening, referral, and linkages to programs as needed; and
• provide interactive educational experiences that offer evidence-based, easily incorporated healthy lifestyle strategies, skills, and “take-home” resource materials, designed to help prevent or manage diabetes facilitated by a team of professionals working in the field of diabetes.

In partnership with the YMCA of South Palm Beach County, the Daibetes Coalition offers six-week, evidenced based Diabetes Self-Management classes, providing peer support ,focusing on self-management and problem-solving strategies. Classes are available at no cost to area residents who have prediabetes or diabetes and their family members. These classes have been proven to help people prevent and/or control diabetes better and improve their quality of life and health outcomes.

Annually, the Coalition hosts the Diabetes Educational Symposium, which provides a continuing medical education program that includes expert speakers in the field of diabetes in a venue that encourages the dissemination of research, knowledge, and evidence–based “best practices” – translating these findings and “lessons learned” into clinical practice and improved patient outcomes.

The Coalition has established a permanent memorial fund in Barbara’s honor to fund scholarships, diabetes camp and conference registrations, and to continue her work throughout Palm Beach County.