World Diabetes Day 2025: Building the Workforce, Strengthening Community, and Closing the Gap
Today marks World Diabetes Day, where the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and the Bupa Foundation are highlighting the critical role of community-led action in addressing diabetes within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The focus of this year’s commemoration is “Building the Workforce, Strengthening Community, and Closing the Gap”.
The Ongoing Challenge of Diabetes
While there has been tangible progress in recent years, diabetes remains a severe health challenge. The rate of diabetes-related deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has decreased from 100 per 100,000 in 2008 to 70 per 100,000 in 2019. Nevertheless, diabetes still accounts for 7.3 percent of all deaths and continues to impact families across multiple generations. In certain regions, the rates of Type 2 diabetes are considered to be among the highest globally. Dr. Jason Agostino, NACCHO Medical Advisor, acknowledged that although management is improving and more people with diabetes are achieving healthy blood sugar levels due to community-controlled care, the complex nature of the disease requires greater attention. Diabetes rarely occurs in isolation; most people starting dialysis in these communities have diabetes, and many also experience heart disease. Dr. Agostino emphasized the necessity of long-term investment and a tailored approach to address these complex needs, along with greater investment in prevention efforts to break the intergenerational cycles of diabetes.
Community-Led Solutions: Health Strong, Diabetes Gone
NACCHO and the Bupa Foundation are addressing these complex needs through the NACCHO | Bupa Foundation Health Strong, Diabetes Gone partnership. This collaboration aims to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to strengthen their workforce, improve early detection and prevention, and ensure that care is culturally informed and locally led. Central to the success of this initiative is the philosophy of community control, reflecting trust, respect, and community leadership. NACCHO Chair Donnella Mills stated that every improvement and life change stems from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people leading the solutions for their families and the next generation. She noted that the partnership is about trust, empowerment, and pride, emphasizing, “When we build our workforce, we build the strength of our communities”. The Health Strong, Diabetes Gone program is built on long-term vision, investing in people, training, and the future of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, rather than short-term fixes or symbolic gestures. NACCHO CEO Pat Turner AM asserted that this approach proves that community control delivers better outcomes.
Training and Technology: Empowering the Workforce
Key components of the partnership focus on building local capability and providing essential educational resources.
1. Train the Trainer Program:
This initiative builds local confidence, capability, and leadership across various regions through a community-led methodology. Since its launch, 16 trainers and assessors have successfully completed the Diabetes Train the Trainer workshop. These individuals are now equipped to lead specialized diabetes skillset training for Aboriginal Health Workers and Practitioners, including those participating in the Aboriginal Health Worker Traineeship Program.
2. NACCHO Diabetes Learning Hub (LMS):
NACCHO designed this digital education platform specifically to deliver culturally safe, evidence-based diabetes training and support for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce employed in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs). The LMS offers flexible, on-demand learning intended to strengthen care coordination, improve early intervention strategies, and enhance outcomes for families managing diabetes.
A Call for Sustained Action
This World Diabetes Day, NACCHO and the Bupa Foundation issued a unified call to action, reminding all stakeholders that progress requires communities to lead the way. The organizations are demanding:
- Long-term, sustained investment in community-led diabetes prevention, screening, and care. • Dedicated support for mothers, children, and families to actively break the cycle of intergenerational diabetes.
- Greater access to continuous glucose monitoring, advanced therapies, and emerging technology.
- The strengthening of the ACCHO workforce to ensure culturally safe care is available where it is most needed.
The future of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, and truly closing the gap, hinges on listening to, investing in, and backing solutions that are driven by the community.
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