Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs at Local Health Departments in North Carolina: History, Successes, and Challenges of North Carolina’s Diabetes Education Recognition Program

Diabetes is a huge and costly epidemic in North Carolina. Effective treatment for diabetes includes Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME). North Carolina’s Diabetes Education Recognition Program (NCDERP), run by the state Division of Public Health, is an umbrella accreditation program that facilitates DSME programs at local health departments (LHDs). Using a literature review and data from NCDERP on costs, reach, and outcome, this paper considers the major challenges that NCDERP faces in being effective and sustainable. For each of these challenges, we suggest strategies to address them. NCDERP has a great deal of potential for improving management and costs of diabetes in North Carolina. More research is needed on its capacity, needs of the communities in which it operates, and perceived barriers among physicians and patients to using NCDERP sites.Master of Public Healt