The capstone advanced awareness of the growing healthcare crisis that diabetes imposes on an already fragile healthcare system. The shortage of diabetes self-management education programs, certified diabetes education specialists, support programs, and the geographical location of such programs inhibits access. In addition to the ever-growing concern of diabetes management, the capstone identified how healthcare disparities contribute to the disproportionate incidences of diabetes among the African American (AA) segment of the population. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research and interventions that address the race-specific values, traditions, beliefs, and cultural differences of AAs, and it seems there is a lack of follow-through with the application of these interventions. All these factors posit that AAs are underserved when compared to non-Hispanic White. The capstone asserted that occupational therapists are poised and qualified to addess the void in the delivery of healthcare to assist this segment of the population in diabetes management. The capstone promoted the expansion of the occupational therapist’s role, advocation for robust culturally tailored research, and the occupational therapy profession’s support of policies involving AAs to improve diabetes care for the underserved AA diabetes population.
