Federally qualified health centers as the bridge between health care and community-based trusted messengers for diabetes management

The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded the University of Illinois a cooperative agreement valued at $700,000 on September 30, 2025, under the Cooperative Agreements for Diabetes Control Programs (CFDA 93.988). The award funds a two-year project running through September 29, 2027, with place of performance in Illinois.

The project establishes federally qualified health centers as bridges between clinical care and community-based trusted messengers for diabetes management. The University of Illinois at Chicago leads the initiative, working with sub-recipient Tapestry 360 Health (doing business as Heartland Health Centers), a non-profit community health organization based in Chicago that operates sixteen healthcare facilities across the city.

Tapestry 360 Health compiles and organizes de-identified clinical data on adult patients with Type 2 diabetes into longitudinal datasets accessible to UIC researchers. The sub-recipient identifies relevant electronic health record fields aligned with research questions, provides longitudinal data at project start with updated data in years 2 and 3, and supplies program documents including care plan templates and community referral resources. Tapestry 360 Health recruits study participants for interviews and focus groups—including adults with Type 2 diabetes outside its direct patient population—and administers surveys measuring initiative impact. In Year 1, the organizations finalize IRB materials and interorganizational agreements, develop data templates, generate sample clinical datasets, and complete interviews with 25 individuals mapping their diabetes journey. Year 2 emphasizes dataset updates and survey development; Year 3 focuses on participant recruitment and final analysis.