Northeast Colorado Health Department launches diabetes prevention program cohort

Adults in Logan County who are at risk for Type 2 diabetes now have a new option to act before a diagnosis takes hold: the Northeast Colorado Health Department has launched another National Diabetes Prevention Program cohort for northeast Colorado residents.

The program is aimed at people who already know they have prediabetes, or suspect they may be headed that way, in a region where NCHD says Type 2 diabetes rates are high. That matters in Logan County because the health department serves the county along with Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington and Yuma counties, making this a local prevention effort rather than a distant public-health campaign.

NCHD says the program uses certified lifestyle coaches and runs for a full year. The curriculum focuses on healthier eating, more physical activity, heart health awareness and other practical lifestyle changes. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment describes National DPP as a yearlong, structured intervention for people at risk for diabetes, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the program has been proven to cut Type 2 diabetes risk in half.

Enrollment is open to adults who have prediabetes, have a body mass index of at least 25, and are not already diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. NCHD also says participants cannot be pregnant at the time of enrollment, and a provider referral is not required. That lowers a barrier for people in rural communities who may not see a doctor regularly or who have not yet been steered into prevention by a clinic visit.

The health department’s own diabetes-prevention page says the goal is to help residents take proactive steps to reduce risk and live healthier lives. CDPHE says participants learn not only how to eat healthier and add physical activity, but also how to manage stress, stay motivated and solve problems that get in the way of their goals, skills that can be especially important in communities where chronic disease can strain family budgets and make long-term care more expensive.

The effort also builds on local history. NCHD’s 2024 annual report says the first Prevent T2 cohort started in February 2024 in Logan County, showing that the new cohort is part of an existing prevention push already rooted here. For families trying to avoid the medical and financial burden of Type 2 diabetes, the message is straightforward: prevention is still possible, and it starts well before a hospital stay or a lifelong medication list.