The Institute for Leadership

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.

The initiative will establish a consortium of 12 key leaders from regional and statewide faith-based networks and mega-congregations that operate in and represent these selected regions. To achieve these objectives, Institute for Leadership will work to engage a critical mass (at least 1,475 by the end of three years) of faith-based organizations and provide the necessary assistance for these organizations to achieve the following goals:

• identify members of congregations at risk for diabetes and its complications;
• help people prevent diabetes-related complications and manage their diabetes by establishing self-management programs;
• link congregation members to clinical care; and
• lead advocacy efforts to promote policy changes that help prevent diabetes and its complications.

The four activities described above will lead to the following anticipated outcomes by the end of the first year:

• establish the statewide Faith-Based Diabetes Leadership Consortium;
• engage at least 350 FBOs involving approximately 110,000 people to join the initiative;
• identify at least 7,500 people at risk for diabetes;
• establish at least 25 diabetes self-management programs in FBOs and enroll at least 700 members in the programs;
• facilitate at least 25 formal linkages between FBOs and health care providers/institutions; and
• activate at least five FBOs to advocate for diabetes-related policy.