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Diabetes Center for Excellence
New program helps patients manage diabetes
When Robert Grebner was asked to participate in the Diabetes Center of Excellence pilot study at Illinois Valley Community Hospital (IVCH), he was ready to give it everything he had.
After all, Grebner, 78, had been managing his diabetes all by himself. Although he generally followed his doctors' orders, he'd had some ups and downs along the way.
Participating in the pilot study did help him to better control his blood sugar, but it also succeeded in doing much more.
"For the first time, I became truly aware of the seriousness of my disease and of the need for me to take care of my health," Grebner says.
Pilot program takes flight
Making patients aware of the seriousness of diabetes was just one of the goals of the pilot study. The overall aim was to see if providing a comprehensive set of support services would help diabetes patients better manage the disease.
"Patients often do what the doctor tells them to do, like taking their meds and watching their diet," says Deb Redd, RN, certified diabetes educator at IVCH. "But we learned that there are other areas where we don't give them as much support and guidance."
The pilot program was designed to fill those gaps. It offered participants:
- Meetings with a dietitian.
- Sessions with a certified diabetes educator.
- Ongoing lab work and monitoring.
- An exercise program.
- Education, support and coaching at monthly meetings.
Soaring to success
And all that support paid off for Grebner and the other participants. Many participants lowered their blood sugar levels or lost weight and almost all said their quality of life improved. Perhaps most striking was the fact that most of the group went from being sedentary to exercising three to five days a week.
And all these changes happened in just four short months.
"The pilot program was successful beyond our wildest dreams," says Maureen Rebholz, RN, MS, director of education at IVCH.
It was so successful that it is going to become a regular part of the offerings at IVCH. Beginning in October 2010, people with type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes will be able to enroll in a program modeled on the pilot.
"We're pleased to offer the community this new program," Redd says. "We believe that it is different from anything else in the area. We know it can help improve the health and quality of life for people with diabetes."
Contact Us
For information about enrolling in the diabetes management program, contact:
Sandy Gramer
Program assistant
Phone: 815.780.3576
Fax: 815.780.6743
