Living with diabetes on Guam

Diabetes is manageable. It takes a regular relationship with a provider, a plan you can actually follow, and support. All of that is available on Guam.

Start with a provider

Your primary care provider is the front door: for testing, for a management plan, for referrals to an eye doctor, a foot check, and a diabetes educator. If you do not have a regular provider, the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services can point you to options.

Public health programs

• DPHSS Diabetes Prevention and Control Program runs diabetes self-management education and support on island, and connects people to prevention programs for those with prediabetes.
• DPHSS Bureau of Non-Communicable Disease Consortium, established in 2022, coordinates Guam’s work on diabetes and the other major chronic diseases, across nutrition, sugary-drink reduction, tobacco, alcohol, and physical activity.

Community organizations

• Guam Diabetes Association, the organization Carl Butler helped build, focused on awareness, education, and community events, including an annual conference that brings together clinicians from Guam and the region.
• Chålan Åmte and other local health coalitions work on community health assessment and chronic-disease prevention on Guam.
• University of Guam researchers study cardiometabolic health in Chamorro and Pacific Islander communities, including the Pacific Islands Cohort on Cardiometabolic Health.

Hospital diabetes education

Guam’s hospitals offer diabetes education and, in some cases, nutrition counseling. Ask your provider for a referral.

What to ask for

• An A1C test, and to know your number and your target
• A yearly dilated eye exam and a yearly foot check
• A referral to a diabetes educator or a self-management class
• Help finding affordable medication and supplies if cost is a barrier