Who we are:

Unidos Contra la Diabetes is a collective impact, community partnership dedicated to preventing diabetes in the Rio Grande Valley. We bring people together in a structured way to achieve social, behavioral, and sustainable community change.

Unidos Contra la Diabetes (UCD) began in 2014 as a group of community leaders who wanted to improve the lives of the Rio Grande Valley. Looking at upstream, strategic, and sustainable changes, the group made its mission to focus on prediabetes and the prevention of diabetes.

UCD works together with hospitals, community clinics, foundations, universities, and churches to improve the lives of children and families in our area. Now, we are building on existing efforts and partnerships by coming together as a united group to increase our impact on diabetes prevention.

Where We Work:

Unidos Contra la Diabetes focuses on the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. This includes the counties of Hidalgo, Willacy, Cameron, and Starr. UCD’s partners work across the RGV to build strengths and wellness among our community.

What guides us:

The goal of Unidos Contra Diabetes is to reduce the number of new cases of type II diabetes, resulting in a 10 percent reduction in the prevalence of diabetes by 2030. We are committed to doing this by integrating primary and behavioral health for people at-risk for diabetes in our community, with a particular emphasis on meeting the needs of low-income and underserved populations.

Unidos Contra La Diabetes works with the community by the following:

Help organizations and communities to leverage funding and resources for programmatic capacities for prediabetes care
Partner with cross-sector organizations to promote prediabetes and diabetes prevention education, screening and policy changes
Foster communication among organization and communities to enhance awareness

Provide shared information about the health progress of our communities and
Help connect services to the community

Unidos Contra la Diabetes works with the community in a strategic way by following the five components of collective impact which are:

Our guiding principles for meeting our goals are:

Serve the whole community through a systems-oriented approach

We support not only the individuals at risk for diabetes, but also their families and the communities they live within. We strive to change the overall system, including policies, practices and cultural norms to create a healthier community.

Take an asset-based approach

We will recognize and elevate community, family and individual assets to build upon and avoid shaming people for poor health. Community engagement is asset based and family oriented.

This is everyone’s responsibility

Diabetes prevention is a shared responsibility of the entire community, including the private sector, governments, schools, families, and individuals at risk for diabetes and includes sustainably improving social determinants of health.

Think about health

We will support prevention and integration of behavioral health in diabetes prevention in promoting holistic wellness, mind, body, and spirit.

Foster health equity people and families

We commit to foster health equity for individuals and families with the knowledge and cost-effective care and tools they need to take their health into their own hands.

Who leads us:

UCD is ultimately led by the Rio Grande Valley and its residents, who guide us in the work we do to make sustainable changes.

The collective impact is made up of:

A dedicated Backbone Staff: Backbone organizations essentially pursue six common activities to support and facilitate collective impact which distinguish this work from other types of collaborative efforts. Over the lifecycle of an initiative, they:

Guide vision and strategy
Support aligned activities
Establish shared measurement practices
Build public will
Advance policy
Mobilize funding

The backbone staff guides the partners, workgroups, and committees towards the common agenda and ensures all are staying on task.

The UCD Steering Committee: The Steering Committee is a group comprised of cross-sector community partners representative of the relevant ecosystem that provides strategic direction for the Collective Impact initiative and champions its work.

UCD Executive Committee: A standing group of Steering Committee Co-Chairs, primary funders, and Backbone CI Director that serves as a decision-making body in the event an action needs to be taken by UCD in between regular Steering Committee meetings.

UCD Co-Chairs: Two members of the Steering Committee that can make decisions and provide direction in between meetings, in partnership with the Backbone support staff.

Prediabetes education workgroup: The Prediabetes Education Workgroup is derived of healthcare workers, researchers, nutritionist, etc. that provide diabetes education and lifestyle change programs for prediabetic/at risk individuals and their families.

Screening Coordination workgroup: The Screening Coordination Workgroup is composed of partners that offer screening and other programs for the community. The strategy for this group includes identifying gaps, building resources for linking screening to treatment, etc.

Data Task Force: The Data Task Force is a collective group that seeks to support the work of the other groups by focusing on obtaining and synthesizing the data the initiative needs to learn and improve.

Determine best ways to measure, compile, and interpret data needed by the Steering Committee and working groups
Research, compile, interpret, and share important data
Increase data sharing
Use technology to collect data and communicate progress.

Policy Task Force: The Policy Task Force supports the work of other groups and the steering committee by focusing on identifying, prioritizing, and advocating for relevant policy changes at the local and state levels.

Determine the priority areas of focus for policy advocacy
Help working group members build networks and relationships with key local and state decision-makers.
Identify and advocate for relevant policy changes at the local and state levels.