The Latino Diabetes Association (LDA) is a community-based 501 (c) (3), nonprofit social service organization. The LDA has reached a crucial point in its attempt to provide diabetes education to the alarming number of participants who are seeking relevant education and information.

Among LDA’s many goals are (1) to deliver holistic, quality and effective community heath care services that meet the needs of all people; (2) to improve the health and well-being of people who have developed, or are at risk of developing diabetes; (3) to advocate for policy changes to improve the health care of our members; (4) to provide comprehensive support services to individuals who have been diagnosed; (5) to create and provide an environment where individuals of all ages as well as families feel safe and comfortable in accessing quality, linguistically, and culturally competent care to improve their health and well being; and (6) to promote leadership, self-help, and empowerment to unserved/underserved clients so they can prevent illness and gain better access to health care services and live in healthier environments. The organization operates on the philosophy that services should be available free to anyone who have developed, or are at risk of developing diabetes.

According to the National Center for Disease Control, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in California. Two million or 8.2% of all Latinos age twenty and older have diabetes and on average Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic Whites are. (California Center for Public Health Advocacy). In Los Angeles County, there are approximately 438,500 cases of diabetes, many of whom have limited and/or no health insurance benefits. Latinos face many additional challenges when diagnosed with diabetes. Not only is the risk for Type 2 diabetes more common as people get older, but physical, financial, and medical issues are often compounded as people age. Many clients who are diagnosed with diabetes do not have enough health insurance coverage, often have co-existing medical problems, experience difficulties with transportation, have a lack of social support, and are unable to be physically active. Additional factors that further contribute to the rise of diabetes within the Latino community include:

 Commercialization of food being targeted to low-income Latino communities;
 Lack of affordable health insurance to low-income Latino communities;
 Lack of economic resources to support the establishment of health retailers in low-income communities;
 Lack of culturally relevant and easy to understand information on diabetes; and

These factors support the LDA’s fundamental philosophy that systemic changes need to occur in order to improve the health of all residents and to decrease health disparities within the Latino and other unserved/underserved communities.

The LDA is the only diabetes organization that focuses on Latinos within the inner cities and housing projects and is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of families and communities by providing a wide spectrum of quality services in Spanish and English.