New round of diabetes activities focus on minority communities

KING COUNTY, WA - Today, Public Health - Seattle & King County announced that the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010 Coalition has started its second round of community-based intervention activities, focusing on African Americans, Asian Americans/Pacific Islander Americans and Latinos, populations disproportionately affected by diabetes.

The community-based intervention activities are free and open to the public, and they are targeted at people who have diabetes and those at risk of developing diabetes, as well as their family and friends.

• Support groups provide a place for emotional support and sharing experiences, as well as access to resources, support for dealing with discrimination, and tips for talking about diabetes with family, providers and others.
• Education classes provide guidance in physical activity, nutrition, weight management, glucose testing and other topics.
• Self management classes focus on self care, increasing people's capacity to manage their diabetes, managing medications, and improving patient-provider communication.

For more information, please visit the REACH Coalition diabetes webpages at: www.kingcounty.gov/health/reach.