March 2, 2011
Oneida County Health Selected for Diabetes Training, Grant
“CABVI to Partner in Two-Day Session”
County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. announced today that the Oneida County Health Department is the recipient of a $5,000 grant and has been selected to participate with its community partner, the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI), in a 2-day training designed to empower communities to develop interventions to prevent or reduce diabetes and its complications.
“Diabetes affects nearly 24-million people in the United States and it’s estimated that one in every three Americans could be affected by 2050 unless communities develop programs to prevent the disease and mitigate its health complications. Among the complications of uncontrolled diabetes, vision impairment can be the most life-altering and for that reason I have invited the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired to partner with our Health Department in this program, so that we are better prepared to meet this challenge ,” Picente said.
Diabetic Retinopathy causes damage to the blood vessels of the tissue at the back of the eye (retina) resulting in a range of impairment from mild vision problems to blindness.
The grant and invitation to participate in “Diabetes Today”, a 2-day training program developed in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), came from the National Association of County and City Health Offcials (NACCHO) . Selections were made by NACCHO’s Review Panel after considering applications submitted by local health departments, according to Dr. Gayle Jones, Director of Health for Oneida County.
The training, scheduled for March 24th and 25th in Washington, D.C., will be attended by the Health Department’s Health Educator and a designated representative from the CABVI. “The $5,000 grant will be used to develop and implement diabetes prevention education and trianing materials for Oneida County and to further develop expertise in coalition building at the local level. In addition, support for the training and associated expenses will be provided by NACCHO,” Dr. Jones said.
Oneida County Partners
