Mobilizing Communities

The New York State Health Foundation's Diabetes Campaign will build on existing community resources and support community- and faith-based organizations to strengthen their capacity to implement and expand diabetes screening and management and increase access to diabetes care and resources. We will engage leaders to advance communitywide policy changes for increased access to healthy foods and physical activity space. The Campaign will target initiatives that have a lasting impact on large numbers of people.

Faith-Based Initiative

The Campaign selected faith-based organizations as one of the first community initiatives of the Campaign. Faith-based organizations are trusted sources of information and activity in their communities and, if they are motivated and supported, they can influence their membership to improve their health.

In December 2009, the Campaign awarded a grant to The Institute for Leadership to advance one of NYSHealth's main objectives : to mobilize communities to spread programs that help prevent, identify, and manage diabetes in places where people live, work and worship. Specifically, this grant will work with faith-based organizations (FBOs) across New York. The Diabetes Campaign’s Faith-Based Initiative will target regions hardest hit by diabetes in New York State: the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, Long Island, New York City, and Niagara County.

To see the materials for our faith-based campaign, please visit http://www.faithfightsdiabetes.org.