SINAI Urban Health Institute

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SUHI's Block By Block Fight Against Diabetes in North Lawndale makes the News!

Friday, 26 March 2010 10:59

SUHI's Block By Block Fight Against Diabetes in North Lawndale makes the News! Click here to read the article in the North Lawndale Community News. Click here to read the article in the Garfield Voice.

Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI) was awarded a highly-competitive major grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to undertake the Block by Block North Lawndale Diabetes Community Action Program. SUHI’s proposal was ranked in the top 3% of requests received by NIH and will provide $1 million over two years.

North Lawndale has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the City of Chicago. It is estimated that the direct medical care costs per person per year with diabetes is 2.3 times higher than for the person without diabetes. The foundational bases for the Block by Block North Lawndale Diabetes Community Action Program are:

  • Awareness
  • Education
  • Self-ManagementCommunity Engagement

Block by Block North Lawndale Diabetes Community Action Program has three (3) target audiences:

  1. Persons who have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes
  2. Persons with multiple risk factors for developing type 2 Diabetes
  3. The community-at-large


The Block by Block North Lawndale Diabetes Community Action Program seeks to support residents in changing the culture within North Lawndale to make diabetes (and health in general) a neighborhood priority and to impact the environment to support healthier lifestyles.  Activities include an educational campaign, community engagement, and individual self-management support by Diabetes Block Captains to ultimately improve rates of diabetes self-management behaviors. Subsequently, through this multi-level community intervention, it is hoped that early detection of diabetes in North Lawndale will increase and people will live better and healthier lives.

Diabetes Block Captains will conduct 2,500 neighborhood household surveys to identify residents within North Lawndale who actually have or are at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. (Eligible persons who complete the survey will be mailed a $15 gift card.) Those residents with Type 2 Diabetes will be assigned a Diabetes Block Captain who will make 4 home visits over 12-18 months, during which they will work with individuals to develop action plans focused on small, consistent, lifestyle changes to improve self-management of the disease.

Poor self-management behaviors often lead to increased numbers of diabetes-related hospitalizations and emergency room visits. Those persons who have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes will be educated (or re-educated) around the risks for short-term and long-term consequences of not managing the disease (e.g., amputations, dialysis, nerve damage, loss of vision, erectile dysfunction) and be encouraged to eat better, become more physically-active, take their medications, follow doctor’s orders, undergo regular testing, and comply with foot care routines.

The major risk factors for developing Type 2 Diabetes include: having family members with the disease, being obese/overweight, not being physically active, having unhealthy eating habits, and being over age 45. Those North Lawndale residents with risk factors will be encouraged to participate in community-wide events related to the Block by Block North Lawndale Diabetes Community Action Program campaign messages that are intended to reduce their chances of developing the disease.

A particular emphasis for the community-at-large is the list of campaign messages and making small-but-consistent lifestyle changes to support those in their circle of influence who have or at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

It is intended that formal and informal community partners will support North Lawndale residents and the Block by Block North Lawndale Diabetes Community Action Program by offering cooking classes and diabetes-friendly menus, hosting events, workshops, and meetings.

Block by Block North Lawndale Diabetes Community Action Program seeks to maximize attendance and participation in North Lawndale resources that are often underutilized, such as fitness classes and community gardens.

Current Major Program Need

Corporate health partners and local pharmacies to provide low-cost or free testing supplies and medications for Block by Block North Lawndale Diabetes Community Action Program participants

Other Program Needs

Local restaurants are willing to modify certain menu items to make them diabetes-friendly, they contact being sought to provide healthy menus Churches and nonprofits in North Lawndale who would like to host a workshop, presentation, or healthy lifestyle event for their clientele Block clubs who want to organize healthy activities for their block such as walking school buses, community park clean-up, and community garden planting

Program Contacts:

Joseph West, Sc.D., Program Manager
773-257-2727
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Donna V. Werner, Program Coordinator
773-257-6049
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Block by Block North Lawndale Diabetes Community Action Program Hotline
773-257-6042