Ephraim McDowell Health recently was awarded the American Diabetes Association Education Recognition Certificate for its quality diabetes self-management education program. The ADA believes this program offers high-quality education that is an essential component of effective diabetes treatment.
The Association’s Education Recognition Certificate assures 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, 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. Education recognition status is verified by an official certificate from the ADA and is awarded for four years.
“The process gives professionals a national standard by which to measure the quality of services they provide,” says Angie Chadwell, clinical nutrition manager and certified diabetes educator at Ephraim McDowell Health. “And, of course, it assures the consumer that he or she will likely receive high-quality service.”
According to the ADA, there are 25.8 million people, or 8.5 percent of the population in the United States, who have diabetes. While an estimated 18.8 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 7 million people are not aware they have the disease. Each day, approximately 5,205 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 1.9 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2010 in the United States. Diabetes contributed to 231,404 deaths in 2007, making it the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people of similar age but without diabetes.
The ADA 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.
For more information about Ephraim McDowell Health’s Diabetes Self-Management Program, call (859) 239-1820.
