Website Editor: Andrea Houk, RN, CDCES
WHO WE ARE: Diabetes Resource Nurses of Colorado, Inc. (DRNCO) is a non-profit organization that was created in 2006 as a collaborative effort to support school nurses and all Colorado School Districts in their management of students with diabetes.
The Diabetes Resource Nurse program connects school nurses/public health nurses who have expertise in the care of students with Type 1 diabetes, with school districts and child care centers throughout Colorado. Some of our activities include:
• Consulting with school nurses, administrators, and other staff about diabetes related issues to insure optimal care for children with diabetes
• Providing resources & in-service education to district staff.
• Helping to trouble shoot individual problems
• Collaborating to provide standardized health services for children with diabetes and assisting with development of individualized health plans & 504 plans
WHAT OUR MISSION IS: Our mission is to ensure safe, evidence-based care for children with diabetes in Colorado schools and child care settings. We pursue our mission through collaboration, education, and providing resources for children, families, school personnel, and diabetes care providers, to support children with diabetes so they may thrive in their school/child care environments.
MEET OUR BOARD MEMBERS/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: We have a great team of collaborators helping to move our programs forward and create sustainability. Click here for our current list of Board Members
MEET OUR DIABETES RESOURCE NURSES: We realize that not all districts or regions of Colorado support a DRN yet. If you cannot find your region or district on the contact list (see below), please contact us via email at drnsofcolorado@gmail.com so that we can find support for you. For more information about the Diabetes Resource Nurses of Colorado and their contact info, please click the “Diabetes Resource Nurses” tab at the top of the page, or click here to go directly to the contact info document.DRNs Contact info Fall 2023
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO: In Colorado, it is estimated that there are over 3,700 children who have been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Research has shown that intensive management of diabetes helps decrease the long-term complication of the disease. Children with diabetes require special management of diabetes and their health care needs at school/child care to allow them to access the same education and opportunities as their peers and to keep them safe at school/child care. DRN Brochure 2020
WHAT IS OUR HISTORY: In August 2005, the American Diabetes Association, Colorado Association of School Nurses, Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment in conjunction with other stakeholders such as healthcare providers, parents and other community partners launched the Diabetes Care in Colorado Schools Collaborative renamed Colorado Kids with Diabetes Care and Prevention Collaborative.
The Diabetes Resource Nurse Program was created out of this collaborative, and operated under a fiscal sponsor until 2021 when we officially became an independently registered 501(c)3 organization in the state of Colorado. Our DRN Council then transitioned to a Board of Directors.
The vision of the collaborative was and still is to assure quality care and safety for Colorado’s children with diabetes within the school community.
The collaborative accomplishments include developing:
- Statewide Standards of Care and guidelines for the safe management of children with diabetes in schools that are updated yearly
- Standardized health and medical forms to be utilized by school nurses, parents and healthcare providers
- Parent School Toolkit to assist families in educating school personnel
- The innovative Diabetes Resource Nurse Program that connects nurses with expert training in diabetes with school nurses