Marion General Hospital 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.