CCHM Diabetes Program Merits ADA Recognition

GILLETTE, WY - The American Diabetes Association has awarded Education Recognition to the Diabetes Center's Diabetes Self-Management Program at Campbell County Health for the next four years. The program has been continuously recognized since June 2001.

The Association's Education Recognition Certificate assures that education programs meet the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education programs. These standard were developed and tested under the auspices of the National Diabetes Advisory Board in 1983 and were revised by the diabetes community in 1994 and 2000 and 2007.

Programs apply for recognition voluntarily. Programs that achieve recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide participants with comprehensive information about diabetes management. "The process gives professionals a national standard by which to measure the quality of services they provide," comments Anne Raga, Manager of Clinical Outpatient Services.

Alicia LePard, RN, MSN is the program coordinator. She is a certified diabetes educator, and is Board Certified in Advanced Diabetes Management as a Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist by the American Nurses Credentialing Committee. She has been helping people with diabetes for over fifteen years and focuses on children with diabetes as well as education of professionals about diabetes.

Kim Handley, RD, is a certified diabetes educator and has been in the field for nearly fifteen years. She serves on the State of Wyoming Diabetes Recommendation team. Her interests focus on PCOS and obesity.

According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 23.6 million people, or 8% of the population in the United States who have diabetes. While an estimated 17.9 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 5.7 million people are not aware that they have this disease. Many will first learn that they have diabetes when they are treated for one if its life-threatening complications-heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, blindness and nerve disease and amputation. About 1.6 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2007.

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading non-profit health organization supporting diabetes research, advocacy and information for health professionals, patient and public.

The Diabetes Center offers educational services to anyone with diabetes, type 1, 2, or gestational with a physician order. Most insurance plans cover diabetes education, subject to deductible and co pays. Medicare allows for ten hours of education the first year of diagnosis and one to three hours annually, especially if treatment changes. Contact The Diabetes Center staff at (307) 688-2370 for an appointment, or with questions about eligibility for educational services.