Key Points
- In response to the diabetes epidemic among American Indians and Alaska Natives, Congress established in 1997 the Special Diabetes Programs for Indians (SDPI) grant programs.
- This $150 million annual grant program, coordinated by Indian Health Service (IHS) Division of Diabetes with guidance from the Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee, provides funds for diabetes treatment and prevention to IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs across the United States.
- The current program runs from 2023 to 2027 and operates on a 5-year cycle.
FIM Opportunities
As part of their required activities, SDPI Community-Directed grantees will implement one SDPI Diabetes Best Practice, which are focused areas for improvement of diabetes prevention and treatment outcomes in communities and clinics.
Nutrition education is one of the best practices to select from. This presents an opportunity to increase messaging and facilitate Food Is Medicine approaches through SDPI grants.
