Department of Health and Human Services
Indian Health Service
The Special Diabetes Program for Indians- Nashville Area Technical Assistance
(USET UDSP)
Project Abstract
Established in 1969, the United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET) is a non-profit, inter-Tribal organization representing 33 federally recognized Tribal Nations from the Northeastern Woodlands to the Everglades and across the Gulf of Mexico. USET member Tribal Nations traditional homelands span across what is present day Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine.
USET’s Tribal Health Program Support (THPS) department has been in operation since 1995, initiated through an Indian Self-Determination Education and Assistance Act (ISDEAA) contract with IHS for identified programs, services, functions, and activities on behalf of member Tribal Nations. It is through this foundation that THPS has been able to provide the structure for ongoing public health activities for Tribal Nations in the Nashville Area and incorporate these activities into its seven program areas. The USET Diabetes Support Program (UDSP) has served Tribal Diabetes Prevention programs in the 13-state region known as the Indian Health Service (IHS) Nashville Area since 1996.
In the previous SDPI grant cycle, USET served as a Primary SDPI grantee that supported the work of 24 programs. The USDP supports grantees in the following areas: preparation of SDPI grant applications, review of carryover requests and budget revisions, submitting grant-required data reports, aiding programs in identifying required key measures, and acting as a liaison with the IHS Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention (DDTP). The UDSP provides diabetes orientation, training, and program monitoring through in-person/virtual site visits. The UDSP works with the DDTP to translate and disseminate the latest scientific findings on diabetes prevention and treatment to ensure grant requirements are completed and submitted on time. The UDSP has developed expertise in this area and a unique relationship with the Nashville Area IHS grantees.
For this proposal, USET’s UDSP will provide training and technical assistance to Nashville Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) programs using culturally appropriate resources that will increase access to diabetes education, prevention initiatives, and treatment for Tribal Citizens living with diabetes and other chronic diseases. Training on the Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS), and other electronic health record (EHR) systems, using available data to refine and provide practical approaches to care, will be offered to support SDPI programs across the region. Opportunities to build synergy by sharing and learning from other programs, both in person and virtually, will be made available to expand the resources and services of Tribal diabetes programs.