Chronic Disease Prevention

The Chronic Disease Prevention program includes Tennessee Department of Health initiatives focused on evidence-based strategies, programs, and resources to support communities, healthcare partners, and individuals in reducing risk factors and promoting long-term health.

Healthy People, Healthy Communities, Healthy Tennessee

Chronic diseases are largely preventable. However, the solutions to preventing chronic diseases are not simple or quick. Places, spaces, and relationships impact chronic disease conditions and shape individual, family, and community-level situations in presenting daily health challenges. Several contributors to chronic diseases include physical inactivity, excessive caloric intake, tobacco and nicotine addiction, and substance misuse, particularly opioid abuse. Taken together, these drive the leading causes of death in Tennessee and across the nation and resulting individual losses in years, and quality, of life.

Related Public Health Initiatives in Chronic Disease Prevention

Contact the Chronic Disease Prevention Program

Phone: (615) 934-6575

Living Well with Chronic Conditions

Living Well with Chronic Conditions, a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP), is a six-week workshop that provides tools for living a healthy life with chronic physical and mental health conditions, including diabetes, arthritis, depression, asthma and heart disease. Through weekly sessions, the workshop provides support for continuing normal daily activities and dealing with the emotions that chronic conditions may bring about. The program is supported by the Tennessee Department of Health and a licensed program of the Self-Management Resource Center (SMRC).

Find A Workshop

The Tennessee Department of Health offers virtual Living Well with Chronic Conditions and Take Charge of Your Diabetes workshops. To sign up, contact the program director for Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Prevention at 615-532-7577. 

Living Well with Chronic Conditions, Take Charge of Your Diabetes, and Cancer: Thriving and Surviving Self-Management programs are available in many counties across Tennessee. To find an upcoming workshop in your area contact your local or regional health department.

Connect

The Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging has programs and services for older Tennesseans as well as those with disabilities addressing quality of life issues and changes that accompany aging.

UT Extension: Living Well with Chronic Conditions – The Tennessee Department of Health in partnership with the University of Tennessee-Extension offers the self-management workshops and leader trainings across the state.

Reporting Results

The Tennessee Department of Health asks for assistance in collecting information about where Living Well with Chronic Conditions, Take Charge of Your Diabetes and Cancer: Thriving and Surviving programs are being offered across Tennessee and who is participating. This information helps track statewide successes and identifies additional training, funding, and other support needs.

The Self-Management Registration Form can be completed and submitted for any Tennessee Living Well with Chronic Conditions, Take Charge of Your Diabetes, and Cancer: Thriving and Surviving programs at the end of each 6-week program. Submit data by mail or email to the Tennessee Department of Health within 1 week of completing the program. Upcoming programs can now be submitted via email!  Send information about all upcoming programs, whether or not they are open to the public. Include all information necessary to be posted on the workshop calendar: 

Workshop Type
Location
Date
Time
City
County
Contact for Registration

Fax the Workshop Form to 615- 242-2225 or email to Lisa.Kocak@tn.gov.

Mailing Address:
Chronic DIsease Program
710 James Robertson Parkway
Andrew Johnson Tower, 8th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243

Get Licensed

For complete information about licensing, policies, fee schedules, and the Self-Management Resource Center license application, see: SMRC: Licensing Procedures and Policies.

The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) is a licensed program of  the Self-Management Resource Center, and the Self-Management Resource Center retains 0wnership of the copyright to the program.

  • Leaders agree that they will not alter the program.
  • Agencies or organizations offering CDSMP must obtain a license before being trained.
  • A 3-year multi-program license from Self-Management Resource Center is $1500 for organizations that will offer up to 100 workshops and six leader trainings per year.
  • For those who find the licensing fee to be a barrier, there are two options:
    1. Organizations can e-mail the Self-Management Resource Center at licensing@selfmanagementresource.com to request a reduced license fee, OR
    2. They can work with another organization that is already licensed.

Get Trained

There are more than 300 Living Well with Chronic Conditions Leaders in Tennessee and more than 10 Master Trainers in Tennessee. All Leaders and Master Trainers must complete a full 4-day training to become certified as a Leader.  Participants must attend the full training and facilitate a program to become a Leader. Two trained Leaders are required to lead chronic disease self-management programs. It is strongly recommended that Leaders are individuals living with a chronic condition, and at least one individual be a peer or lay Leader, rather than a health or social service professional. It is also very helpful if Leaders have attended a chronic disease self-management program as a participant prior to being trained.

Leader training for Living Well with Chronic Conditions is available regularly in Tennessee. 

The majority of Leader trainings are currently offered through several Training Centers throughout the state, although some organizations offer their own Leader trainings.  Contact the local or regional health departments or UT Extension: Living Well with Chronic Conditions for upcoming trainings.

Since two trained Leaders are required to lead programs, it is recommended that organizational teams send two to four individuals to a 4-day Leader training.  The team should include at least one paid staff person who can handle program promotion and logistics in addition to leading programs, and one peer or lay volunteer.
Organizations sending participants to a Leader training are committing to the initial 4 days of training, plus the time for coordinating and providing at least 1 six-week community programs within the following 12 months.  Potential costs include participant books, relaxation CDs and program licensing.

For Trainer certification issues or questions, please contact the Self-Management Resource Center at certification@selfmanagementresource.com.

This Page Last Updated: March 26, 2026 at 4:30 PM