Marion Health Diabetes Education* Program Merits ADA Recognition
The Marion Health Outpatient Diabetes Self-Management Education
and Support (DSMES) service has been awarded
continued Recognition from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The ADA believes
that this program offers High-Quality Diabetes Self-Management Education*
and Support that is an essential component of effective diabetes treatment. The program was originally Recognized in January 1996.
Assuring High-Quality Education for patient Self-Care is one of the primary
goals of the Education Recognition Program. Through the support of the
Health-Care team and increased knowledge an awareness of diabetes, the
patient can assume a major part of the responsibility for his/her diabetes
management. Unnecessary hospital admissions and some of the acute and
chronic complication of diabetes may be prevented. “The process
gives professionals a national standard by which to measure the quality
of services they provide”, commented Kimberly Jeffries, RN Certified
Diabetes Educator and Program Quality Coordinator of Marion Health. Programs that
achieve Recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals
who can provide participants with comprehensive information about diabetes
management.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s)
2017 National Diabetes Statistic Report there are 30.3 million people
or 9.4% of the population in the United States who have diabetes. While
an estimated 23.1 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 7.2 million
people are not aware that they have this disease. Many will first learn
that they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening
complications – heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness,
nerve disease, and amputation.
The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading non-profit
health organization supporting diabetes research, advocacy and information
for health professionals, patients, and the public. For more information
call the ADA office at 1-900-diabetes or online at
www.diabetes.org/erp. For information about the Marion Health Diabetes Program contact Kim Jeffries at
765-660-6690.