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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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