For the past 25 years, Diabetes Action Research and Education has made it a priority to help reduce the extremely high incidence of diabetes in native communities, especially in South Dakota. In 1993, Diabetes Action helped fund construction of the first Indian-owned and managed kidney dialysis centers on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation; then, in 1998, it turned its attention northward, to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.
That year, Diabetes Action provided much-needed funding for the original Billy Mills Youth Center (affectionately called The Main) at the Cheyenne River Youth Project® campus, and a long-term, steadfast partnership was born.
More recently, Diabetes Action supported the construction of CRYP’s Cokata Wiconi (“Center of Life”) teen center in 2006. Four years later, it launched the American Indian Diabetes Prevention Program.
“After witnessing the incredible progress of CRYP’s goal to improve the health of the teen population with improved exercise facilities and the wonderful Winyan Toka Win (“Leading Lady”) organic garden, we initiated the American Indian Diabetes Prevention Program,” said Pat DeVoe, Diabetes Action’s president. “This project enabled CRYP to expand its nutrition program with a diabetes educator and extended educational efforts with nutrition classes and new ways to motivate teenagers with the successful teen internship program.”
Diabetes Action also provided critical funding to produce CRYP’s “Diabetes is Not Our Way” video series and public awareness campaign in 2012. The campaign, dedicated to preventing youth diabetes on the remote, 2.8-million Cheyenne River reservation, incorporated a 30-minute “Diabetes is Not Our Way” documentary, three public service announcements for TV and Internet distribution, three audio PSAs for radio, and a 10-part “Indigenous Perspectives” short-video series for social media, each of which highlighted a tribal member’s views on the diabetes issue.
“We applaud the dedication of CRYP’s executive director, Julie Garreau, to providing a better future for Cheyenne River’s children,” DeVoe said. “We are very proud to remain a partner for CRYP because of its commitment to improving the health of both old and young members of the community, specifically by reducing the incidence of diabetes among this very vulnerable population. We look forward to continued success with our combined efforts to change the paradigm of diabetes statistics on the Cheyenne River reservation.”
Learn more about Diabetes Action at www.diabetesaction.org, and access the full CRYP video library here.