Introduction to the Regional Diabetes Collaborative

Mission

The mission of the Regional Diabetes Collaborative (RDC) is to support, promote, and coordinate efforts to prevent and manage diabetes in Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey Counties.

Goals

The RDC is committed to reducing and managing diabetes in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties through the following goals:

• To create partnerships with private, public, governmental, and community-based organizations to prevent Diabetes.
• To increase public awareness and diabetes education.
• To promote the best practices in clinical management to improve treatment effectiveness for diabetes.
• To improve the availability, accessibility, and affordability of treatment services, medicines, and equipment for Diabetes patients.
• To develop and implement a policy advocacy plan designed to address Diabetes.

Organization

The RDC was formed in September 2002 and is a collaborative with representation from public agencies, health care providers, non-profit organizations, and private businesses, as well as consumers and other interested individuals.  The RDC is made up of four committees, created by the General Membership, to carry out tasks and functions of the organization as needed as follows:

• Steering Committee, responsible for governance, membership, resource development, and budget management.
• Policy Committee is responsible for advocacy and policy analysis and development.
• Education Committee promotes diabetes awareness and prevention strategies to the general community.
• Quality of Care Committee focuses on promotion of best practices.
• Patient and Family Committee primary focus is get feedback and opinions of people who are living with diabetes here in our community.

RDC Administration/Trust Support

Currently, the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust (Trust), a nonprofit health care foundation serving the Pajaro Valley and the surrounding region, provides administrative support to the RDC convening efforts in the form of meeting space, some administrative and clerical services, funding for the RDC consultant/ facilitator, fiscal oversight and management of its resources, and participation, consultation and technical assistance as needed.

RDC Membership

RDC membership is open to all interested organizations and individuals in the tri-county area. The Steering Committee verifies members and strives to recruit members from throughout the tri-county region, with a goal of broad-based community representation, which reflects the geographic, cultural and ethnic diversity of the region. RDC members may serve indefinitely, but shall serve for a period of at least one year.

Member Agencies

• American Diabetes Association
• CSUMB Institute for Community Collaborative Studies
• Cabrillo College Student Health Services
• California Diabetes Program
• Center for Community Advocacy
• Central Coast Alliance for Health
• Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas
• Community Bridges
              La Manzana Resource Center
              Latino 5 a day
              Power Play
              WIC Program
• Diabetes Care Center
• Diabetes Health Center
• Dominican Hospital
• Familia Center
• Hazel Hawkins Hospital
• Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County
• Mee Memorial Hospital
• Monterey County Area Agency on Aging
• Monterey County Health Department
• Natividad Medical Center
• Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust
• Physicians Medical Group of Santa Cruz County
• Safety Net Coalition of Santa Cruz County
• Salud Para La Gente
• San Benito County Public Health Division
• San Benito Health Foundation
• Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency
              Children’s Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP)
              Community Health and Prevention Program
              Public Health
              Watsonville Health Center
• Santa Cruz Clinic
• Second Harvest Food Bank
• Senior’s Council Area Agency on Aging
• Simón Salinas, 28th Assembly District
• Sutter Health Santa Cruz
• Takeda
• Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
• Watsonville Community Hospital