Nemours Diabetes Education Program Merits ADA Recognition
Pensacola, Florida
Tuesday, October 02, 2007 @ 04:56 PM EDT
by: Cortney Owens
(302) 505-4739
Pensacola, FL - The prestigious American Diabetes Association Education Recognition Certificate for a quality diabetes self-management education program was recently awarded to the Nemours's Pediatric Endocrinology Division in Pensacola for their Pediatric Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) program. DSME is a critical element of care for all people with diabetes and can help improve the quality of life. The program meets National Standards in teaching parents and children the complexities of testing blood sugars 6-8 times/day and giving an average of 4 insulin injections daily. The families are expected to calculate doses of insulin and manage the meals in order to keep blood sugars within a defined range. This program assists them in managing diabetes to prevent the short-term problems of low blood sugar or excessively high blood sugars. Both of these can lead to hospitalizations very quickly. On the other hand by controlling diabetes for the long term, one can help prevent the complications of blindness, kidney failure and amputations. ADA believes that this program offers high-quality education that is an essential component of effective diabetes treatment.
The Association's Education Recognition Certificate assures that educational programs meet the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs. These Standards 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.
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. Education Recognition status is verified by an official certificate from ADA and awarded for three years.
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 20.8 million people or 7% of the population in the United States who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 6.2 million people are not aware that they have this disease. Each day approximately 4,110 people are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will first learn that they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications - heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and nerve disease and amputation. About 1.5 million new cased of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2005. Diabetes contributed to 224,092 deaths in 2002. Since 1987 the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45%, while the death rates due to heart disease, stroke, and cancer have declined.
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. Founded in 1940, the Association has an area office in every state and conducts programs in communities nationwide.
modified: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 @ 11:31 AM EST
created: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 @ 04:55 PM EDT
About Nemours
Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.
Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.
Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.
