With generous funding from The California Endowment, Hutton Foundation, Andrew H. Burnett Foundation, Tenet Healthcare Foundation, and the Crawford Idema Foundation, Sansum Diabetes Research Institute launched the Santa Barbara Diabetes Initiative in 2005. Collaborating partners are American Indian Health and Services and Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics (with clinic locations in Isla Vista/Goleta, Westside and Eastside Santa Barbara). This initiative is designed to deliver a coordinated system of disease management in combination with community wide organizing and advocacy efforts to prevent and treat diabetes and obesity.

The initiative provides training to clinic physicians and clinical staff on diabetes standards of care and trains promoters and teen health advocates to disseminate information on diabetes management, advocacy skills and risk factors for diabetes to their peers. Multi-session diabetes prevention and self management workshops are given in English and Spanish throughout the community. The initiative works closely with Partners for Fit Youth, a county-wide coalition of agencies, schools, public health departments, and medical institutions dedicated to reducing childhood obesity by changing environmental factors contributing to obesity and diabetes, such as improving school food choices and increasing access to physical activities.

SDRI has initiated the publication and distribution of the first-ever community Diabetes Education Calendar. A media campaign will also be conducted to build community awareness of the need to reduce obesity, prevent diabetes, and environmental factors that lead to lack of physical activity and poor food choices, especially in children and minority communities. Lois Jovanovič, M.D. serves as Project Director, along with Medical Directors Cindy Bowers, M.D. from SBNC and Kevin Teehee, M.D. from AIHS. SDRI's Alison Okada Wollitzer, Ph.D. was appointed Project Manager. Jenifer Gaffaney, M.S., R.D. is the lead diabetes educator for the Initiative.