The need for a community diabetes education curriculum for healthcare professionals.

Healthcare professionals need valuable up-to-date information on diabetes management and skills to treat and educate patients with diabetes mellitus. The Diabetes Education for Healthcare Professionals program was developed to provide healthcare professionals with current diabetes management skills. It was also designed to increase the number of certified diabetes educators in the area in which it was delivered. The program enrolled 147 participants and was delivered on four different occasions. Fifty-five of those participants stated a strong interest in pursuing certified diabetes educator certification, which may significantly increase the number of certified diabetes educators in both rural and urban areas of West Texas.