From pregnancy to adulthood, Diabetes Free SC is uniting partners to prevent, manage and reduce the impact of diabetes across the state.
Diabetes affects hundreds of thousands of South Carolinians, creating a significant burden on families, communities and the health care system. Beyond numbers, the disease can profoundly affect quality of life, leading to complications like heart disease, vision loss, kidney disease and long-term hospitalization. These challenges highlight why a coordinated, statewide approach is essential.
A Generational Approach to Diabetes Prevention and Management
Diabetes Free SC (DFSC) is a statewide initiative that focuses on improving health in three stages of life. Its partners and funded programs aim to prevent lifelong risks of diabetes, increase access to proper management and care, and reduce the complications of the disease.
A Healthy Start for Newborns
For pregnant women, uncontrolled diabetes increases risks for both mother and baby. DFSC’s SC MOMs program provides comprehensive, team-based care to women with type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes. Mothers get support for managing their diabetes and have fewer health issues. Women in SC MOMs programs at Prisma Health and MUSC Health have lower rates of cesarean deliveries, fewer preterm births and reduced neonatal complications. Controlling diabetes during pregnancy can reduce the baby’s risk of diabetes and other illness later in life.
Learning Healthy Habits
For children, DFSC supports programs that focus on ways to prevent diabetes. School-based wellness programs through partners like the Boeing Center for Children’s Wellness and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation work with districts across the state to set up school environments that promote healthy eating, physical activity and other factors that help prevent diabetes. In the 2024–2025 school year, more than 318 schools made strides to help reduce long-term risk of type 2 diabetes in their 175,000 students. DFSC also invests in family-oriented nutrition and physical activity resources to help begin healthy habits at a young age.
Adult programs focus on diabetes management, education and access to resources that can prevent complications. The VeggieRx program, run by FoodShare South Carolina, pairs patients with fresh produce prescriptions. Combining fresh food with the support of community health workers (CHWs) improves diabetes self-management. Participants in these programs report lower A1C levels, reduced blood pressure and healthier habits. Additionally, DFSC’s Spiritual Health Initiative for Eliminating and Lowering Diabetes (SHIELD) brings diabetes education into faith-based communities in collaboration with Brookland Lakeview Empowerment Center and Generations 4 providing culturally relevant care and resources. The work of these partners helps people take control of diabetes.
Collaboration Makes a Difference
DFSC’s success relies on a network of statewide partners, including hospitals, clinics, schools, community organizations and public health agencies. By aligning efforts across clinical care, nutrition access, education and community-based interventions, DFSC ensures resources are used efficiently and reach the people who need them most. Programs complement each other, creating a multiplier effect that strengthens impact across the state.
Building Healthier Futures Together
The complex nature of diabetes requires coordinated action at every stage of life and in many settings. DFSC’s approach, spanning pregnancy, childhood and adulthood, demonstrates that meaningful change is possible. Through collaboration with partners, commitment to community-driven solutions and evidence-based programs, Diabetes Free SC is helping create healthier futures for families across South Carolina.
