By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

The Pacific Diabetes Education Program conducted a three-day seminar that would help Palauans with diabetes fight the dreaded disease.
The seminar was held from March 27-29 at the Penthouse Hotel with Nia Aitaoto of the PDEP, based in Hawaii, as resource speaker.
The participants came from the community, retired teachers, NGOs, health workers and government officials.
Sen. Santy Asanuma and Dr. Steve Kuartei showed up during the awarding of certificates yesterday.
Aitaoto said that the aim of the seminar is to develop a diabetes educational material to be done by Palauns for Palauans.
Such material is envisioned as a living healthy guide to be available in November during the Diabetes Awareness Month.
"We’re here looking for problems and how to tap the avaliable resources," said Aitaoto.
There are 798 people with diabetes in Palau who are registered at the government hospital, excluding those who do not come to the Belau National Hospital and those who had their checkup at private clinics.
PDEP is a five-year project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve the availability and dissemination of culturally and linguistically appropriate diabetes education materials. PDEP is a program of Papa Ola Lokahi, a community organization that focuses on Native Hawaiian health.
The goals of PDEP are to:
1. Establish an advisory council that includes consumers of diabetes care services, health care providers, local diabetes programs and Diabetes Prevention and Control Programs (DPCP) in Hawaii and the Western Pacific.
2. Develop awareness and education interventions designed to improve knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors related to diabetes prevention and control and to improve clinical outcomes for people with diabetes.
3. Establish partnerships with local community-based programs, DPCP programs and consumers of services related to diabetes prevention and care.
4. Develop and distribute diabetes education materials that are culturally and linguistically appropriate, for use by community programs and health care providers.