Diabetes

Free Tools & Resources for Diabetes

Tue, 05 Jul 2016 21:11:18 +0000

Free Tools & Resources for Diabetes

My Healthy VT Workshops

Vermont offers FREE workshops to help people prevent and manage diabetes. Participants get support from trained lifestyle coaches to create action plans to make meaningful changes to meet their health-related goals. These workshops are held primarily online, which connects people from across the state. People who complete the program share that they appreciate the support of the group and are better able to create new habits with food, physical activity, sleep, and stress management.

Learn how to make small changes to support your health goals!

•    Learn about nutrition and how it is related to preventing and managing diabetes
•    Learn about different ways to increase physical activity
•    Learn about stress, and why managing it can help prevent and manage diabetes
•    Create action plans customized for you and your goals!

Find a diabetes prevention workshop at MyHealthyVT.org

cegner Tue, 07/05/2016 - 17:11

Testimonials from My Healthy VT participants:

"I find this program better than diet programs because it is focused on improved health by changing habits which can be very hard to do."
"The accountability of the weekly classes really kept me on track."
"Group activities are a way of getting support while learning new ways to handle eating choices. I especially have to say, [The facilitators] were sincere listeners and empathetic leaders. They rephrased my sharing and input, which clarified what I had said. They truly cared."
"It was a great program and [the facilitator] was awesome!"
"I really learned a lot and the book Prevent T2 is packed with so many health tips and ideas."
"Thank you for this wonderful program, I have signed on for another round."

About the Diabetes Program

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 19:44:07 +0000

About the Diabetes Program

The Vermont Department of Health Diabetes Program is funded through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cooperative Agreement.

Program Goals

The Vermont Department of Health Diabetes Program uses proven strategies to support opportunities for people living in Vermont to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes.

Together with our partners, we are working to:

Increase the number of people living in Vermont who are screened for prediabetes or diabetes and referred to resources.
Promote and connect people living in Vermont to free, statewide My Healthy VT Diabetes Workshops for diabetes prevention and management.
Address the conditions where people live, learn, work, and play to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Support and empower community health workers.

olh_Sharon.Muellers Tue, 01/21/2020 - 14:44

Current Projects

Quality improvement
Continuous quality improvement of diabetes care for people in Vermont is the cornerstone of our work. We partner with healthcare and community organizations across the state to assess opportunities to improve screening for prediabetes and diabetes, refer to programs and resources, and improve access to and quality of diabetes care

Learn more about quality improvement

Statewide Community Health Worker infrastructure
There is strong evidence that community health workers can improve health outcomes for people with prediabetes and diabetes. Our program provides the backbone support for a group of organizations working towards bringing the community health worker workforce together.

Learn more about the statewide community health worker infrastructure

Pharmacist collaboration
Patients with chronic conditions are likely to have more frequent encounters with a pharmacist than with their primary care provider. This makes pharmacies a critical access point to support patients with disease prevention and management, not only places where medication is dispensed.

Survey on Chronic Disease Care in Vermont Pharmacy Settings 2022

In partnership with the Vermont Pharmacists Association, our program designed and conducted a statewide survey of Vermont licensed pharmacists to help deepen our understanding of chronic disease prevention and support patient care services. The results will help guide work in pharmacy settings and develop diabetes resources for pharmacists.

Survey full report

Survey one-page summary

My Healthy VT
Together with the Vermont Blueprint for Health the Diabetes Program administers the My Healthy VT Diabetes Prevention and Diabetes Management Workshops. We aim to make it easier for people of all abilities to participate in diabetes workshops. Learn more about My Healthy VT Workshops

DSMES Work

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Services (DSMES) offers people with diabetes comprehensive diabetes education to develop the knowledge and skills needed to effectively manage diabetes.

With the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Diabetes Program is collaborating with around 75 partners from across the State, including people with diabetes, to develop a state strategy for making DSMES services available to more Vermont residents. The DSMES State Strategy will be completed in 2025.

Diabetes State Plan

The Diabetes Program is working with diabetes partners across Vermont to develop a Diabetes State Plan (State Plan). The State Plan is a document that details the goals, objectives, and priority strategies to guide the State’s diabetes prevention and care work. It will provide direction to public and private programs, organizations and agencies working on diabetes prevention, care and management in Vermont. The Diabetes State Plan will be completed in 2025.

Find data on diabetes in Vermont.

Interested in partnering with us or finding out more? Contact the Vermont Department of Health at 802-863-7200.

Examples of the Successes of Past Partnerships

Sustainable Diabetes Prevention and Management Impact, 2018-2023

Diabetes in Vermont: Data & Facts

Tue, 05 Jul 2016 21:11:39 +0000

Diabetes in Vermont: Data & Facts

Diabetes is a long-lasting (or "chronic") health condition that makes your blood sugar too high – either because your body doesn’t make enough insulin (the hormone that turns food into energy) or because the insulin it makes is not used correctly. High blood sugar causes problems in many parts of the body over time - like heart disease, blindness, and damage to your nerves, feet and kidneys. Making changes to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, and keep in good communication with your healthcare provider can help prevent, delay or manage type 2 diabetes.

cegner Tue, 07/05/2016 - 17:11

Watch "What is Diabetes?"

Types of Diabetes

There are many types of diabetes with many different causes and contributing factors. The most common types of diabetes are listed here, but there are many more. No matter what type of diabetes you have, it is important to remember that diabetes is not your fault. Taking small steps to manage diabetes can help improve your health and reduce your risk for complications. Managing diabetes is hard, and it is important to find support where you can. Explore free diabetes management workshops.

Type 1 diabetes

If you have type 1 diabetes, your body makes little or no insulin. Your immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, although it can appear at any age. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to stay alive.

Type 2 diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, the cells in your body don’t use insulin properly. The pancreas may be making insulin but is not making enough insulin to keep your blood glucose level in the normal range. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. Most of the time, this type of diabetes goes away after the baby is born. However, if you’ve had gestational diabetes, you have a higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Sometimes diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy is type 2 diabetes.

Prediabetes

People with prediabetes have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. If you have prediabetes, you have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. You also have a higher risk for heart disease than people with normal glucose levels.

If left untreated, prediabetes could develop into diabetes within five years. Knowing you're at risk of diabetes gives you a chance to take control of your health and take steps to prevent diabetes and other serious health problems.

There's a lot you can do to lower your risk! Quiz: Are you at risk of prediabetes?
*Types of diabetes definitions adapted from the National Institutes of Health. To learn more, visit: What is Diabetes?

Diabetes Data in Vermont

Around 49,000 people in Vermont have diagnosed diabetes. The rates for diabetes in Vermont have been steady for the past several years, but one out of four Vermonters do not yet know that they have diabetes. Diabetes is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality among Vermont residents and is often a significant contributor to other chronic conditions.

About 10% of people in Vermont have diagnosed prediabetes. Prediabetes is an underdiagnosed condition, and as many as one in three Vermont adults have prediabetes and most do not know they have it. Check your risk and sign up for a free diabetes prevention workshop.

Get more data on diabetes in Vermont

Diabetes Performance Scorecard: see how we're doing