Mobile Diabetes Education Center (MOBEC)
At Touro University California, we’re dedicated to helping our community better prevent and manage diabetes. Thanks to a generous grant from Sutter Health — and additional subsequent funding — the MOBEC team and Touro student volunteers can bring diabetes prevention tools to the community.
- 98
- million Americans have prediabetes*
- 8 in 10
- adults don't know they have it*
- 14,848
- people have visited MOBEC as of June 2024
*Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Who We Are
The Touro University California's Mobile Diabetes Education Center (MOBEC) is a state-of-the-art mobile trailer that brings FREE diabetes screening and education to the people of Solano County. We provide not only diabetes screening for members of the community who may not otherwise have adequate access to healthcare but also education to the public about their risk factors, thus aiming to prevent diabetes and prediabetes in their lives.
Our Mission:
- To raise awareness about diabetes and prediabetes
- To empower effective self-management of diabetes and its related conditions
Our Vision:
Establishing a culture in promoting self-management and lifestyle modifications to achieve optimal health among those who are at risk for and affected by diabetes.
The effort of our DREAM Team has paid off, with impressive numbers accumulating as a testament to this important work.
Since its first event in May 2017 MOBEC has:
- Provided services at more than 554 events
- Reached more than 14,500 people
- Screened over 4,500 people in the community for high blood glucose and high blood pressure
What MOBEC Brings to the Community
Touro staff and student volunteers offer each community member visiting MOBEC a one-on-one session to:
- Assess their risk factors for prediabetes and diabetes
- Receive diabetes screening—both blood glucose screenings and A1C screenings for high-risk patients
- Receive individualized education to prevent and manage diabetes and prediabetes (this will include counseling regarding lifestyle modifications, nutrition, medication education, and physical activity recommendations)
- Receive blood pressure screening and associated education
- Also receive depression screenings, resources for tobacco cessation, and more…
- Coming soon we will offer lipid screenings and type1 diabetes screening.
Our Sponsors
Without sponsors, the work MOBEC does would not be possible. We are grateful for those who believe in this vision and have helped make it a reality. MOBEC is fully funded by generous gifts and grants from community sponsors.
- Sutter Health Community Benefits. Sutter provided the initial generous grant to get MOBEC up and running, and to this day, it continues to be our ongoing and primary sponsor.
Others have since realized the value MOBEC brings to the community and have joined in to support us over the years.
- The California Department of Public Health is currently funding two grants for a 4-year project starting July 2024.
Some of our past sponsors include Solano County Public Health, Kaiser Permanente, and Janssen Community Impact.
Our Partners
MOBEC works with close to a hundred amazing community partners. These organizations have agreed to host MOBEC and spread the word.
Our partners include medical facilities, community centers, education facilities, faith-based organizations, local businesses, food distribution sites, low-income and senior housing complexes, libraries, and many other public and private events/locations.
Among the organizations who have been with us the longest are:
- Florence Douglas Community Center
- Parkway Plaza Senior Apartments
- Solano County Libraries
- Emmanuel Temple Apostolic Church
- Homeless Outreach Partnership Engagement (HOPE)
Community organizations are welcome to join our mission by hosting MOBEC events.
Call (707) 638-5970 or email our Operations Manager & Event Coordinator, Deanna Dickey, at ddickey@touro.edu.
Our Team of Volunteers
Touro University California students interested in learning more about diabetes, working with an interprofessional team, and reaching out to serve their community are offered opportunities to work with the DREAM Team:
- Rotations during clinical years (for medical, pharmacy, and PA students)
- Work-study positions (for more information please contact Jay Shubrook at jshubroo@touro.edu)
- Volunteer opportunities on MOBEC. Touro students gain valuable skills in checking blood glucose and blood pressure in addition to working with our visitors on diabetes prevention and management skills.
MOBEC Student Volunteer Sign-up
“I've really liked working on MOBEC because it’s given me a chance to talk with patients more in-depth about their diabetes and given me a chance to really educate them on how to plan their meals better.” Juliana Ma Crawford, MSPAS/MPH '19
MOBEC Online Resources
The MOBEC program provides resources and education at the reach of your fingertips. You can have access to information related to prediabetes, diabetes and hypertension care/management tips, resources and support, healthy cooking recipes, healthy eating tips and information, exercise tips, resources and videos, Solano County community information and resources, and health or COVID-related information from reputable agencies and organizations.
Check-out our YouTube playlists: