The program's guiding principle is to reduce the burden of diabetes in the District of Columbia. Each state has a diabetes prevention and control program  funded in part through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most are housed in state health departments, as is the diabetes program in DC. Through data collection and surveillance, the program aims at defining needs and challenges related to diabetes in the District. This information provides the direction and basis for interventions developed and instituted within communities and organizations. Partners are integral in the surveillance and creation of interventions designed by the District. It is the creation of partnerships that allow for a well-organized "team" approach to controlling and preventing diabetes and its complications.