Americares and the American Medical Association (AMA) are working together to address this critical public health problem. By targeting adults who have prediabetes and offering evidence-based lifestyle programs that promote weight loss, physical activity and healthy lifestyle changes, free and charitable clinics can prevent or delay the progression to type 2 diabetes in their patients.

Both Americares and the AMA have prioritized addressing prediabetes in adult populations:

• Americares launched its Transforming Prediabetes Care Initiative in 2014 designed as a national demonstration for free and charitable clinics; seven free and charitable clinics were selected to implement the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). This initiative is being implemented with the generous support of the GE Foundation. 
   
• The AMA launched its Improving Health Outcomes initiative in 2013 aimed at preventing both type 2 diabetes and heart disease – two of the nation’s leading causes of death and suffering.

Together, the AMA and Americares have developed a Diabetes Prevention Program Implementation Guide that includes a variety of resources to help free and charitable clinics develop lifestyle change programs that align with the CDC’s National DPP.