The Vermont Department of Health Diabetes Program is funded through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cooperative Agreement.
Program Goals
The Vermont Department of Health Diabetes Program uses proven strategies to support opportunities for people living in Vermont to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes.
Together with our partners, we are working to:
- Increase the number of people living in Vermont who are screened for prediabetes or diabetes and referred to resources.
- Promote and connect people living in Vermont to free, statewide My Healthy VT Diabetes Workshops for diabetes prevention and management.
- Address the conditions where people live, learn, work, and play to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Support and empower community health workers.
Current Projects
Quality improvement
Continuous quality improvement of diabetes care for people in Vermont is the cornerstone of our work. We partner with healthcare and community organizations across the state to assess opportunities to improve screening for prediabetes and diabetes, refer to programs and resources, and improve access to and quality of diabetes care
Statewide community health worker infrastructure
There is strong evidence that community health workers can improve health outcomes for people with prediabetes and diabetes. Our program provides the backbone support for a group of organizations working towards bringing the community health worker workforce together.
Learn more about the statewide community health worker infrastructure
Pharmacist collaboration
Patients with chronic conditions are likely to have more frequent encounters with a pharmacist than with their primary care provider. This makes pharmacies a critical access point to support patients with disease prevention and management, not only places where medication is dispensed.
Survey on chronic disease care in Vermont pharmacy settings
In partnership with the Vermont Pharmacists Association, the diabetes program surveyed Vermont licensed pharmacists to deepen our understanding of chronic disease prevention and support patient care services.
My Healthy VT
Together with the Vermont Blueprint for Health the Diabetes Program administers the My Healthy VT Diabetes Prevention and Diabetes Management Workshops. We aim to make it easier for people of all abilities to participate in diabetes workshops. Learn more about My Healthy VT Workshops
DSMES Work
Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Services (DSMES) offers people with diabetes comprehensive diabetes education to develop the knowledge and skills needed to effectively manage diabetes.
With the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Diabetes Program is collaborating with around 75 partners from across the State, including people with diabetes, to develop a state strategy for making DSMES services available to more Vermont residents. The DSMES State Strategy will be completed in 2025.
Diabetes state plan
The Diabetes Program is working with diabetes partners across Vermont to develop a Diabetes State Plan (State Plan). The State Plan is a document that details the goals, objectives, and priority strategies to guide the State’s diabetes prevention and care work. It will provide direction to public and private programs, organizations and agencies working on diabetes prevention, care and management in Vermont. The Diabetes State Plan will be completed in 2025.
Find data on diabetes in Vermont.
Interested in partnering with us or finding out more? Contact the Vermont Department of Health at 802-863-7200.
Examples of the Successes of Past Partnerships
Sustainable Diabetes Prevention and Management Impact, 2018-2023
