Human Resource Manager/Benefits Manager/Health and Wellness Coordinator

Whether you are a human resource manager, benefits manager, or wellness coordinator, diabetesatwork.org offers you an array of business and educational resources. These materials can be used to provide counsel to senior management or the company president on how to assess the affect of diabetes on your company, as well as to create an employee diabetes education series.

The following resources can help you get started to improve the overall health and well-being of your employees. They are inexpensive to use and can be easily added to a new or current wellness program to help those employees who may have diabetes or who may be at increased risk for developing it.

Making a Difference: The Business Community Takes on Diabetes

Making a Difference: The Business Community Takes on Diabetes is a report for business decision-makers. It summarizes the economic and health consequences of diabetes and the benefits of investing in the prevention of diabetes complications. The report also provides a rationale for implementing diabetes-related health promotion activities and includes suggestions for increasing prevention practices at the worksite.

Assessment Tool

There are many chronic medical conditions vying for your company's health care dollar. Use this assessment tool to estimate the potential prevalence and costs associated with diabetes among your employees (and retirees). Making this estimate is a good first step in assessing whether a diabetes education program is appropriate for your company's needs.

Choosing A Health Plan

Selecting the best and most appropriate employee health care plans is one of your company's most important decisions. Read "Choosing a Health Plan" to gain insight into the special benefits and services health care plans should offer to help members with diabetes better manage their disease and reduce their risk for diabetes-related health problems.

Creating Health Education Programs: Using the Lesson Plans and Fact Sheets

These lesson plans ideally should be led by a health care provider or wellness coordinator, although knowledgeable supervisors and human resource managers may be able to present some of them. Several of the lessons can be adapted and used with employees who do not have diabetes.

Fact sheets can be easily e-mailed to employees, posted on central bulletin boards, or given as supplemental handouts to employees attending one of the lessons.

You can incorporate lesson plans and fact sheets into your educational program planning. The following are a few suggested lesson plans and fact sheets that can be used as "lunch-and-learns," 15-minute health information coffee breaks, or even as short programs during a health fair. Follow these links for a complete listing of lesson plans and fact sheets.

[ The publications are available in portable document format (PDF) Follow this link to learn more about PDFs and PDF support for the visually impaired.]

General Diabetes Awareness and Promotion

Lesson Plan

• "What Is Diabetes and How Is It Treated?"

Related Fact Sheets

• "Diabetes Myths"
• "Diabetes: What is It?"
• "Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, Now What?"
• "Gestational Diabetes"
• "Supervisor's Guide to Diabetes"

Cardiovascular Risk Reduction

Lesson Plans

• "Controlling High Blood Pressure"
• "Modifying Fat Intake to Minimize Cardiovascular Risk"
• "Taking Good Health to Heart"

Nutrition, Weight Control, and Physical Activity

Lesson Plans

• "Getting Started With Weight Control: Increased Activity"
• "The Nutrition Guidelines for Good Health"

Related Fact Sheets

• "Cooking for the Person with Diabetes"
• "Diabetes: What’s to Eat?"
• "Meal Planning and Shopping for Diabetes"