The cornerstone of the Virginia DPCP's Initiatives are partnerships and collaboration, which result in the efficient use of limited federal resources. The Virginia DPCP partners with a wide variety of organizations including local health departments, community health centers, academic institutions, faith-based organizations and community-based organizations. Virginia DPCP Initiatives are aligned around these 5 key areas:
Leadership and Coordination
The Virginia DPCP views leadership and coordination as core public health functions and aims to engage internal and external partners in collaborative efforts to improve statewide impact. Some of these efforts are:
Conducting an Assessment of the 10 Essential Public Health Services (EPHS) to determine the gaps and needs of the Virginia Public Health System with regard to diabetes prevention and control.
Developing an initial Performance Improvement Plan to address the gaps and needs identified during the EPHS Assessment.
Serving as an integral part of collaborative projects (e.g., training, social marketing, partnership development) within the Division of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of chronic disease efforts statewide.
Serving in leadership positions on the Virginia Diabetes Council, a statewide volunteer group of over 40 diabetes-related organizations and diabetes consumers whose mission is to provide a forum for communication and collaboration among diabetes stakeholders, with the intent of reducing the burden of diabetes in Virginia.
Partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and five other state health departments on the Diabetes Prevention Project (DPP). The purpose of the DPP Project was to determine ways to develop successful state-level efforts for preventing type 2 diabetes among persons with pre-diabetes or those at high-risk. Executive Summary of Virgnia's DPP Project | CDD's Final Report of the DPP Project
Monitoring the Impact of Diabetes
Assessing, monitoring, and reporting the burden of diabetes in Virginia is a unique and core function of the Virginia DPCP, which includes:
Identifying data sources, interpreting findings and facilitating partnerships to define the burden of diabetes in Virginia.
Producing reports, profiles and fact sheets and disseminating them to health professionals, decision makers and the general public for decision making and planning.
The Virginia DPCP supports efforts that help build community involvement in diabetes support, education and prevention where Virginian's live, work, play and worship, including:
Providing resources, training and technical assistance to community based diabetes prevention and control projects. There are currently two projects in Virginia, which are housed within the Eastern Shore Area Agency on Aging and the Lenowisco Health District.
Providing resources, training and technical assistance to churches that serve African Americans through The Prospect Empowering Center, a statewide faith-based organization.
Partnering with University of Virginia Cancer Center to develop the Living Longer Living Better (Participant's Guide, Leader's Guide) healthy lifestyle model for Hispanic and Latino populations.
Serving on the Prevention Committee of the Virginia Diabetes Council who is working with community organizations to increase access to diabetes primary prevention information and programs.
Health Systems
The Virginia DPCP partners with health systems to improve diabetes care and outcomes. For example:
Providing resources, training and technical assistance to the Virginia Primary Care Association and local community health clinics that are participating in the National Health Disparities Collaborative, a HHS Bureau of Primary Health Care quality improvement initiative.
Working with the Virginia Diabetes Council's Education Resources Committee to develop and disseminate diabetes tools and materials to health care providers to improve care.
Health Communications
The Virginia DPCP promotes programs developed by the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) to help raise awareness and knowledge about diabetes control and prevention among health professionals and the general public. Examples include:
Podiatrists, Pharmacists, Optometrists, and Dental Professionals (PPOD) Campaign – Providing materials and workshops at statewide professional meetings for podiatrists, pharmacists, optometrists, and dental professionals to promote a team approach to managing diabetes and to reinforce consistent diabetes control messages across health professions.
Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed Guide – Collaborating with the Department of Education and the VDH's Division of Child and Adolescent Health to provide materials and resources for training of school health nurses on this guide and other diabetes care topics in the school setting.
Small Steps.Big Rewards. Campaign – Providing training and materials to local health departments on diabetes primary prevention for Virginia's high-risk populations (African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans and American Indians).
Diabetes Prevention and Control Project
109 Governor St, DCDPC 10th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: (804) 864-7877 Fax Phone: (804) 864-7880
Virginia Diabetes Indicators Database 
