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Program Coordinators
in a CDC-recognized
lifestyle change
program play many roles.
These roles include
overseeing daily operations,
supporting and
guiding Lifestyle Coaches,
and making sure
the program meets
the quality
performance standards
of the Diabetes Prevention
Recognition Program, or DPRP.
In this video, one
of a four-part series,
Program Coordinator Miriam Bell
explains her roles
and responsibilities.
I think that my
most important role
is really helping to
keep the team motivated.
There are a lot of
moving parts to it.
There is a huge
data element part.
There is a huge logistical part.
There's a huge training
component to it as well.
And so it's just really
important to understand
all of those different pieces
and explain to people the
importance of their role.
And I think when people
understand what their role is,
that helps keep
their motivation intact
and then that
translates into motivation
that their enthusiasm
then gets transmitted
or communicated to the
participants in the class.
To help your staff members
fully understand their roles,
make sure they
have read the DPRP
Standards and
Operating Procedures.
The DPRP Standards outline the
quality performance measures
for delivering the
lifestyle change program
and provide
essential information
about the requirements
for CDC recognition.
They explain the application
and data submission procedures,
and provide information
about staff eligibility,
roles and responsibilities.
It is important
for all of the staff
to understand what
the DPRP Standards are,
because the DPRP Standards
cover a wide range of topics.
And so we have different
staff that are responsible
for different
aspects of the program,
and so they're going to need to
know what those standards are
so that they understand what
their responsibilities are.
But I think most importantly
for our Lifestyle Coaches,
we really want them
to be very well-versed
and have a good understanding
of what those requirements are
so that as they are out in the
field working with the members,
that they can reinforce with the
members why it's so important
for them to come every
single week for 16 weeks
and then once we taper
off to every other week
during the months
seven through 12, you know,
why it's so
important for them to continue
to have that
connection going forward.
Program Coordinators must
work with their organization
to find the best ways to offer
the lifestyle change
program with integrity.
Sessions can be
offered more frequently
than the minimum requirements
of 16 weekly sessions
in the first six months
and six monthly sessions
in the second six months.
Offering biweekly sessions
after the first six months
as a means to help
participants transition
from weekly to monthly sessions
can be a very effective tool in
keeping participants engaged,
while also
helping your organization
achieve the attendance goals.
While achieving
recognition is important to you
as the Program Coordinator,
always keep in mind
the important role of attendance
in helping participants
meet their
individual weight loss goals.
Offering more than the
minimum required sessions
in the Standards could
boost participant success.
So we balance
organizational needs
with the DPRP requirements by
having that leadership support.
So, you know, we've been
given or I have been given
the responsibility to
make sure that this program
is implemented
properly and implemented
in a manner in which
it will be successful.
And so the way that you make
sure that it's successful is by
looking at what the different
requirements are and really
putting the systems in place
that can help you achieve it.
HOST: Program Coordinators
play a critical role
in monitoring participant data.
By reviewing participant
data on an ongoing basis,
you can make sure
that participants
are progressing
toward their goals.
Continuous monitoring
will also help you to identify
the areas of your program
that require improvement
and tailor training
and technical assistance
for Lifestyle Coaches.
Dashboards and summary
sheets can provide your team
with helpful progress details.
Review program data regularly
with your Lifestyle Coaches
and other
relevant staff members,
and strategize ways to
improve participant performance
and program success.
It also helps to
appoint a staff member
to help you
conduct quality assurance.
MIRIAM: You have to make
sure that the information
that is collected is
thorough and complete.
And so you really have to
stay on top of that because
if you wait, it can become
a little bit overwhelming.
So you want to make
sure that people understand
what their responsibilities are.
The same is for the analysts.
You want to work
with your analyst
and have your analyst provide
you with the deadline of
okay, if this is what the
information is that you need
to provide to the CDC
by this particular date,
what is the
analyst's deadline for me
to get all of that data to them?
HOST: As Miriam mentioned,
CDC has very specific
data collection
requirements which can be found
in the current version
of the DPRP Standards.
To make sure your organization
submits data correctly
and on time, you need to
communicate and interact
with your staff on a
regular basis and, if needed,
contact the DPRP for
technical assistance.
In addition to
communicating with your staff,
you also need to
communicate frequently
with your key
stakeholders and partners.
The number and type of
stakeholders and partners
will vary based on the
size and type of organization.
Larger organizations,
such as Miriam's,
might require more staff
to maintain daily operations
and more partners with whom you
would discuss program progress.
No matter what your
organization's size,
it's most important to assure
that you have the capacity
to deliver a
lifestyle change program,
including employing enough
trained Lifestyle Coaches
to accommodate the number of
participants you have enrolled.
Having someone skilled
who can collect and submit
program data to
CDC is also important.
Depending on the number of
participants you have enrolled,
you might find it helpful to
employ a designated staff member
to support data entry
and submission to CDC.
The more participants you have,
the more data you will have!
Miriam's program is a good
example of an organization
with lots of data due to
high participant enrollment.
MIRIAM: My key
stakeholders are my boss.
So we have a quality department,
so our VP of Quality,
is kept very up to
date on what's going on
with the [National]
Diabetes Prevention Program.
I have a physician partner
who helps get messages out
to the medical staff about
what's going on with the
[National] DPP and to
encourage participation.
I also have our Manager of
Nutrition Services who really is
critical in ensuring that the
Lifestyle Coaches are trained.
I also have an analyst. Our
analyst plays a really big role.
We are collecting just mountains
and mountains of data,
and so we have to get that
information to the analyst
and make sure that
it is compiled properly
so that it can be uploaded
to the CDC for evaluation.
And also our Manager
of Health Education,
our Coordinator
of Health Education
who just handles the
logistics of ensuring
that these classes
go off without a hitch.
Supporting Lifestyle Coaches
is one of the most important
roles for a Program Coordinator.
Research has shown that
fully trained and committed
Lifestyle Coaches have the most
significant impact
on participant success.
Offer them guidance
on program delivery,
data collection,
and quality assurance.
Encourage them to participate in
CDC webinars,
calls, and meetings.
Promote interactions
with other Lifestyle Coaches.
Also make sure you provide
them with continual feedback
so they can
adjust their approach
to achieve more
successful outcomes.
New Lifestyle Coaches, or
those who want more training,
may benefit from
being mentored by a
more experienced Lifestyle Coach
or master trainer, or both.
Our master
trainer has implemented
a mentorship program.
So she trains
additional Lifestyle Coaches.
And so for people
who are newly trained,
she pairs them up
with people who have been
teaching the [National]
DPP for a year or more.
They are out in the
field, you know,
teaching the [National] DPP,
but they also teach a
lot of other classes,
a lot of other healthy
living classes for us.
So it's an opportunity to bring
those who are specializing in
teaching the [National] Diabetes
Prevention Program together
just to share best practices
and to share information.
And one person on our staff
is a master trainer, and so she
communicates with them on
a biweekly basis, so we're
using a tool called Outlook
Groups, which allows them
to exchange information
on their mobile devices.
And so she is able
to post information
every other week for them,
whether it's
motivational information
or just information
about the [National] DPP,
information about
the latest and greatest
regarding nutrition
or physical activity,
and they are able
to have a conversation
going that way in real time.
So we do try to create a
lot of different opportunities
for them to interact and to
receive additional training.
Help Lifestyle
Coaches become more effective
by encouraging
them to connect with
and support their participants.
MIRIAM: I think
the way that we keep
the Lifestyle
Coaches motivated is,
they meet with the participants
and they become a
really important part
of the participants' lives.
They get to know folks'
life story, folks' challenges.
Just seeing the improvement,
the incremental improvements,
the incremental changes
week after week
after week, that alone
is really motivating for
the Lifestyle Coaches, because
they can really see the direct
result of their hard work.
And so that's really motivating.
And then some
people participate, and
it just may feel like they're
not making any improvements,
but, you know, they
have to encourage members
to maintain their
commitment to the program,
and over time you definitely
can see an improvement.
So just that connection,
that human connection is
just really motivating
for the Lifestyle Coaches.
Motivation is critical
-- for you, for your staff,
and for the participants.
The greatest motivator of
all is seeing the impact the
lifestyle change program makes
in your participants' lives.
No matter what the
size of your organization,
just know that
whatever work you put into it
can really have a profound
impact on someone's life.
So, whatever you're able
to do, whether you're able
to only hire one Lifestyle
Coach or whether you are
able to hire a whole
cadre of Lifestyle Coaches,
really start where you
are and do what you can
to adhere to the
CDC's requirements,
and even if you're only
able to help one or two people,
it's really worth it.
With 84.1 million
Americans with prediabetes,
it's important to reach
as many people as possible.
And, as you've heard, program
coordinators play many key roles
in successfully implementing
the National DPP
lifestyle change program.
You are critically
important in ensuring that
organizations
follow the DPRP Standards.
You also are responsible
for guiding Lifestyle Coaches
and helping the
coaches support participants.
To learn more about
being a Program Coordinator,
watch the rest of
the video series,
and visit CDC's
National DPP website.
If you have any questions,
just send an email to:
D-P-R-P Ask at C-D-C-dot-gov.
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