Banner Health expands regional diabetes education program
GREELEY, Colo. (Oct. 10, 2011) – To meet the ongoing demand for resources and education related to diabetes, the staff of Banner Health Outpatient Diabetes Education have enhanced and expanded the program in Greeley, Windsor and Loveland. The program will expand to Johnstown Family Physicians later this year.
The Banner Health Outpatient Diabetes Education team includes six staff members: certified diabetes educators Erin Schinzel, RN; Wendy Harrison, RN, BSN; and Stacy Luppens, RN, BSN; and dietitians, Teri Sieg, RD, CDE; Stephanie Yoo, MS, RD; and Joan Randolph, RD.
Diabetes Self-Management Education is an interactive, ongoing process which involves the person with diabetes, the caregivers and family, and a trained diabetes educator. The educators give participants the knowledge, skills and tools needed to successfully manage diabetes and avoid many of the complications associated with the disease.
Education focuses on the American Association of Diabetes Educators’
7 Self-Care Behaviors:
- Healthy eating
- Being active
- Monitoring
- Taking medication
- Problem solving
- Healthy coping
- Reducing risks
Certified diabetes educators specialize in diabetes education and care management. They must have at least 1,000 hours of patient education experience with diabetes and pass a formal certification exam.
The program through North Colorado Medical Center originally was awarded Education Recognition in May 1996 and continues to offer quality diabetes education to the community. In August 2011, the program extended the recognition to the Loveland and Windsor communities.
Education Recognition is a process through which programs that meet the criteria of the national standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education are formally identified for their performance and quality. They have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals
that can provide state-of-the-art education about diabetes self-management for participants.
In Greeley, Loveland and Windsor, the diabetes education program offers:
- Group and individual sessions
- One-on-one appointments
- Pregnancy and Diabetes Education
- Pre-diabetes group classes
- Medical Nutrition Therapy
- Community education updates and support groups
- Caring for Patients with Diabetes course for health care professionals.
Some programs require a physician referral and carry a fee. The patient’s insurance can be billed for education appointments and classes. Patients may have a co-pay or deductible depending on individual coverage. The Pregnancy and Diabetes Class is offered weekly for $10.
The team has offices in each of the three communities. For clinic appointments, call (970) 378-4676. Patients can ask their physician to fax a referral and insurance authorization to (970) 378-4304 or call (970) 392-2344 for more information.
To learn more about the outpatient education programs, call (970) 392-2344.
Clinic locations are:
- Aspen Medical Clinic, 2923 Ginnala Drive, Loveland
- Medical Arts Centre of Windsor, 1300 Main St., Windsor
- 1800 15th St., Suite 300, Greeley.
SIDEBAR:
Data from the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, Jan. 26, 2011:
- 25.8 million children and adults in the United States -- 8.3 percent of the population – have diabetes
- 18.8 million people have been diagnosed
- 7 million people are undiagnosed
- 79 million people have prediabetes
- 1.9 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people ages 20 years and older in 2010
- 215,000 people under 20 years of age, or 0.26 percent of all people in this age group, have diabetes
- About 1 in every 400 children and adolescents has diabetes
- The total cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States in 2007 was $174 billion $116 billion for direct medical costs and $58 million for indirect costs including disability, work loss and premature death.
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ABOUT BANNER MEDICAL GROUP
Banner Medical Group is the employed physician practice for nonprofit Banner Health. More than 750 physicians, clinicians and support staff serve the communities of Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. Our highly qualified health care professionals are dedicated to making a difference in people’s lives by providing excellent medical care, superior clinical outcomes and an outstanding patient experience. For more information, please visit www.bannerhealth.com/BMG.
