The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Indian Health Service, is investing $139 million in funding for the fiscal year 2023 Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) to provide diabetes prevention and treatment services for American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Funding awards have been made to 302 tribal, urban, and IHS sites in 35 states under a new, five-year grant cycle that began Jan. 1. According to IHS, the funds for tribes in Florida include $349,578 for the Seminole Tribe and $137,402 for the Miccosukee Tribe.

“HHS is committed to eliminating health disparities in communities across the country,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “American Indian and Alaska Native communities have historically had disproportionately higher rates of diabetes than other populations. Through education and outreach programs like the Special Diabetes Program for Indians, we are successfully implementing evidence-based and community-driven strategies to prevent and treat diabetes in tribal and urban Indian communities.”