I’ve recently had the pleasure of working with Moises Arjona, who is executive director of a non-profit collective impact organization in Texas called Unidos Contra La Diabetes (UCD) – United Against Diabetes.
About Unidos Contra La Diabetes (UCD)
Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHM), who has been involved in the Rio Grande Valley community for a number of years, saw the need for a collective impact initiative to halt the accelerated growth of Type 2 diabetes in their primarily Latino communities. In collaboration with local foundations such as Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation, the initiative took off and UCD became a reality in 2014.
In the early years of UCD, their goal was to work with mostly uninsured and indigent populations. Today, the demographics have changed to where many now have access to affordable healthcare, but unfortunately, the diabetes numbers have continued to rise. UCD’s current goal is to reduce the number of new Type 2 diabetes cases by 10% by 2030.
Here are some of the key takeaways from our interview:
Helen: “The DPP (Diabetes Prevention Programs) you have running in the community – how well do they perform, and what are some of the barriers?”
Moises: “Participants tend to drop out of the Diabetes Prevention Program because it’s too long, but organizations that want to be recognized by the CDC must stick to the program. UCD and the communities we work with have to gauge if it’s worth running a DPP when they cannot get people to finish. They are looking for shorter, more impactful programs even if they are not CDC certified. We are looking to conduct more screening and raise awareness of diabetes and recommend and implement changes. For example, we gave out 30,000 water bottles last year but it’s not clear if that has led to lower sugary drink consumption. The challenge is that Diet Coke and Coke Zero are much more expensive than regular Coke and people will ultimately be driven by their wallets.”
Helen: “What specifically are you looking to raise awareness about?”
Moises: “We’re working to raise awareness about diabetes symptoms that go beyond obesity. Very few people in our community know that Type 2 diabetes can lead to chronic kidney disease, diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and even dementia. As a result, we’re collecting relevant data across the community to gauge the challenges, progress, and identify areas of focus. For example, our survey data is indicating that kids (grades 1-7) are pre-diabetic, insulin resistant, hypertensive, obese and at risk of developing full-blown Type 2 by the time they are 18. The challenge is that a lot of people have food trauma which gets passed down from generation to generation: the grandma who grew up with food insecurity pushes their grandkids to eat, and it’s a status symbol to get fast food like Chick-Fil-A and McDonald’s rather than the school lunch. So it’s amplifying diabetes as a result.”
Helen: “What innovative strategies have you implemented?”
Moises: “We trained 174 community brand ambassadors in 2023 with a 4-hour educational course on diabetes. These ambassadors attend health fairs, give presentations on diabetes and run community surveys on UCD’s behalf. They managed to get more than 3,000 survey responses in just six months which provided us with a lot of data on community needs and challenges. In 2024, our goal is to train 100 new ambassadors to be the spokespeople for UCD’s mission.”
“We have also deployed the Wholistics chatbot to engage with users and empower them to take charge of their health. Over the initial three-month pilot program (where 94% of users were enrolled in a Spanish-language version of the program), 70% of users said that the chatbot coaching program was helpful in managing their health journey.”
“Clinicians complain that men are reluctant to get screened, so we are also looking at wellness checks where men tend to gather (i.e., in car dealerships, barbershops, trucking companies) and meet them after work hours. We are also looking at whole family initiatives as it’s very difficult for one person in the family to stay on track when everyone else isn’t. Getting the whole family involved in health is more sustainable. As part of this, UCD just introduced their first mascot named Hydro – it’s a big blue water drop and kids and adults love it! We will have it at community health events to promote the importance of proper hydration without sugary drinks.”
In wrapping up, Moises indicated that he’s fortunate to have transparency with a steering committee that are willing to roll up their sleeves. “It doesn’t have to be your idea as long as the idea works – that’s an important part of leadership.” He also has access to a great community advisory board that offer an objective view and guidance that UCD may not always be aware of.
Preventing diabetes is HARD – it’s a collective effort by communities, healthcare providers and great organizations like UCD that will make an impact for a healthier future for the Rio Grande Valley citizens of Texas.
For more information about Unidos Contra La Diabetes, visit: https://www.ucdrgv.org