Florida Atlantic University’s Diabetes Education and Research Center has received a $75,000 grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) Foundation. The two-year grant will support the Diabetes Education and Research Center’s “Embracing a Healthy Tomorrow: Empowering Communities to Overcome Childhood Obesity” outreach effort to 1,400 children who are at-risk for obesity and diabetes and their parents via Palm Beach County-area schools, churches, community centers and youth programs.
“Using our expertise in pediatric endocrinology, community nursing, diabetes education and pharmacy, we will deliver an age- and culturally-appropriate curriculum for children focused on the importance of healthy eating and exercise,” said Eugenia Millender, clinical director of the Diabetes Education and Research Center, which is managed by FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. “At the same time, we will educate parents, guardians and community role models to promote wellness and prevent obesity.”
Through its Embrace a Healthy Florida childhood obesity initiative, the BCBSF Foundation is addressing the causes of childhood obesity through community engagement in six communities across Florida and through grants to support promising practices and applied research.
By going out into the community, Millender and her team will identify and follow up with at-risk individuals and offer intensive education to prevent or diagnose a diabetic condition. Individuals identified will receive care and counseling at the Diabetes Education and Research Center to improve health outcomes.
