Diabetes is a common but complicated health condition facing agricultural workers within the United States. To help assist agricultural workers in learning about this diagnosis, Migrant Clinicians Network has partnered with professional artist and collaborator Salvador Sáenz to create “Mi salud es mi tesoro: Un guía para vivir bien con diabetes,” or, “My Health is My Treasure: A Guide to Living Well with Diabetes.” This low-literacy comic book explores the topic through the full-color story of an agricultural farmworker named Goyo, whose recent diagnosis of diabetes prompts him to engage in conversations with other agricultural workers on topics of diet, exercise, and illness prevention while facing the unique hurdles of living a life of migration. The comic book was originally produced in Spanish, and is now available in English below. Please click "Leer en español" above to access the Spanish-language version. 

In order to print the right number of comic books, we are asking organizations to pre-order in quantities up to 500. The comic book and shipping will be paid for by MCN. In exchange, we simply ask that you, or someone from your organization, complete an evaluation of the comic book several months after you first receive it. Information from the evaluation will help us improve our resources and will give us important insight into how the comic book is being used in the community.

Download a digital copy of the comic book below!

 Incluye guías, carteles, concursos, música y podcasts, y recursos de capacitación y evaluación. Disponible en español.

Recursos aprendar a tomar buenas decisiones para un buen cuidado diabetes.

A flier created by the CDC's National Diabetes Education Program as a guide for patients in the management of medicines to treat diabetes. Available in English.

Part 5 of the 6 webinar series: Essential Clinical Issues in Migration Health

DATE RECORDED: June 5, 2014
PRESENTED BY: Katherine Brieger, RD and Elizabeth Magenheimer

View Recorded Webinar

Participant Evaluation  

Presentation Slides (PDF)

Diabetes continues to be one of the most common and challenging health condition confronting migrants and other underserved populations. It is clear that a healthy lifestyle is critical to mitigating the impact of diabetes on individuals and the population, however effective and appropriate interventions can be difficult to design. Fairhaven Community Health Center in Connecticut and Hudson River Healthcare in New York, are two health centers that have long led the way in creating culturally appropriate lifestyle programs for migrants and other underserved patients. In this session the presenters will discuss lessons learned from the development of a variety of programs for diabetics and other patients including a community garden, nutrition classes, cooking classes, weight management and strategies to encourage exercise. The session will address the clinical core measures related to nutrition and BMI and will also discuss current research test second line drug effectiveness in Type 2 DM. Available in English

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe culturally appropriate diabetes intervention strategies
2. Identify strategies to address clinical core competencies related to nutrition and BMI to improve quality care.
3. Receive “take home” examples of how to incorporate effective nutrition, weight loss, exercise and other health lifestyle strategies.

This flyer describes oral health for the diabetic.  It is in English and Spanish. 

This flyer describes depression and the steps to health living.  Available in Spanish and English. 

To provide the RN with guidelines to assure that the basic elements of diabetes management are taught to patients with diabetes.

The Diabetes and Healthy Eyes Toolkit helps community health workers provide sight-saving information to people with diabetes. The Toolkit is available in Spanish and English and includes a:

• Diabetes and Healthy Eyes Flipchart to help community health workers educate people with diabetes about eye diseases in a small group setting.
• Diabetes and Healthy Eyes Module for background information and materials to assist community health workers in using the flipchart.
• Watch Out for Your Vision! Brochure to distribute to people with diabetes to educate them about eye disease and the importance of getting a dilated eye exam at least once a year.
• Medicare Benefits Card to promote the glaucoma and diabetic eye disease benefit under Medicare and inform the public about eligibility.
• Publications Order Form to obtain diabetic eye disease materials and resources for distributing to people in your community.
• Evaluation Form to share your thoughts and experiences using the Diabetes and Healthy Eyes Toolkit.
• CD-ROM with copies of the module, flipchart and handouts.

Additional materials include a:

• TRACK Diabetes Magnet (English only) to provide tips to people with diabetes about keeping their health on TRACK.
• Lo bello entra por los ojos...no deje que la diabetes cierre esa ventana (Beauty enters through the eyes. Don't let diabetes close the window.) Poster (Spanish only) to remind people with diabetes about receiving an annual dilated eye exam and offer tips about how to control diabetes.

A one-page resource that describes the connection between diabetes and high blood pressure. Available in Spanish and English.

Handout describing the importance of nutrition specifically related to maintaining a balanced diabetic meal plan. Available in Spanish and English.

Acanthosis nigricans is a darkening of the skin, usually around the neck but sometimes on knuckles, elbows or toes or around the armpits or the groin. Having acanthosis nigricans can a warning sign that a person is at risk for diabetes. This patient education brochure explains basic information about acanthosis nigricans in English and Spanish.