PROJECT HEALTHY FAMILIES: DIABETES PREVENTION AND SELF CARE PRACTICES FOR ALL - The increasing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity rates in Black, Latinx, urban and rural communities have been caused by several factors, including low-social, political, and clinical interest in improving their diabetes risk and outcomes. This makes the "diabesity" epidemic unprecedented due to the difficulties these groups face accessing relevant screenings. Clinical research has shown that Diabetes patients on Medicare Advantage Plans have worse health outcomes than those who pay medical service fees. And so, BWHI is interested in aiding Medicare recipients (aged 65+) through the proposed project. Culturally competent intervention requires evidence and practice, considering the ever-growing scientific basis for culturally competent intervention demands the use of evidence and practice-based strategies to improve population health. Under COMPONENT B., Aim 1, Strategy 1. BWHI and our 7 program partners will strengthen selfcare practices by (a) referring individuals and families to ADA or ADCES-certified organizations delivering Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) programs in the selected high-need counties; working with our partner, the Nutrition and Diabetes Education Center to become recognized providers by the American Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES); and (b) while working on certification, providing culturally-tailored diabetes support services using ADA and ADCES evidence-based curricula content and the BWHI practice-based curricula content. Aim 2, Strategy 5. BWHI and our 7-program partners will continue to deliver our branded National Diabetes Prevention Program, CYL2). BWHI’s existing CDC-sponsored diabetes prevention program has enrolled nearly 5,000 program participants since 2014, through both virtual and in-person avenues delivered by BWHI and our network of program partners and we have reached millions more through our awareness campaigns over the past 10-plus years. Aligned with the NOFO’s goal of reaching 350,000 individuals, in high-need communities, (see Appendix A.) our communications and marketing will continue to target Blacks, Latinx, and Medicare Recipients in urban and rural high-need counties across (AL, TN, IN, TX, MI, LA, OH, MD and DC) encouraging increased access to prediabetes screenings and referrals by healthcare providers in those counties. Aim 3. Strategy 7. Formal Umbrella HUB Arrangements (UHA) with BWHI's existing program provider network of community-based organization and other CBOs interested in delivering the program, will improve the sustainability of CDC-recognized National DPP delivery organizations serving our identified priority populations. The UHA will help to build their capacity to deliver the program to our priority populations, while also supporting the CBOS with “back-office” services such as capacity building, technical assistance, training, billing, data collection and reporting. Aim 4. Strategy 8. As indicated in the NOFO, since we are not currently working in the childhood obesity space, BWHI will use Year 1 for planning. Representatives from various high-need counties and organizations are currently being identified to serve on the committee. Community involvement and decision-making are key to this practice-based initiative. Using peer-reviewed evidence (quantitative and qualitative) to make decisions; applying a framework for program planning (often based on health-behavior theory); evaluating performance; and disseminating results.