November marks American Diabetes Month, with healthcare providers, public health agencies, educators, and community organizations across the country rallying against the diabetes epidemic. Here in northern New York, a regionwide coalition has been in the trenches combating diabetes and prediabetes for the last several years, picking up momentum and helping individuals take control of their health.

The Get Healthy North Country Community Integrated Health Network is a coalition of medical and behavioral health providers, public health units, area offices for the aging, social care agencies, and other interested organizations that collaborate to bring health and wellness support programs to the people that need them most. The network includes nearly 30 member organizations and a growing number of program hosts from nine counties across the region.

Treatment of diabetes and prediabetes is a top priority for Get Healthy North Country. Nationwide, some 116,500 people are diagnosed with diabetes every month, according to the American Diabetes Association. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2021 that nearly 40% of Americans over the age of 18 had prediabetes, based on fasting glucose levels and A1C. Here in the North Country, over 34,500 people have Type 2 diabetes, with another 29,945 diagnosed with prediabetes.

While these numbers may look daunting, the Get Healthy North Country Network is starting to chip away by providing free, grant-supported diabetes self-management programs to local communities. These in-person and virtual workshops provide individuals with life-management skills such as goal setting, decision making, strategies for dealing with common symptoms, using alternative techniques to manage symptoms, planning for the future and improvement of interpersonal relationships. Self-management programs can also help people be better communicators, make healthier food choices, increase physical activity, improve strength and energy levels, manage symptoms, set goals and make personal health improvement plans.

Our in-person workshops are hosted in community settings, from hospitals and town halls to libraries and adult centers. They’re facilitated by peer leaders — community members trained to help others understand how to recognize the signs and symptoms often associated with chronic conditions like diabetes. To date, we’ve helped over 140 North Country residents complete these programs, with a goal of having an additional 300 people enroll in and complete a workshop series by next summer.

If you have diabetes or prediabetes — or any chronic health condition — use American Diabetes Month as your spark to take control of your health. We encourage you to visit gethealthynoco.org to find free in-person workshops in your community, or a virtual workshop to participate in from wherever you are. To learn more about American Diabetes Month, visit diabetes.org/wefight.

Ann Morgan is executive director of The Heart Network, which facilitates the Get Healthy North Country Community Integrated Health Network. To learn more about the network and its members, visit gethealthynoco.org.