Houston Healthcare Diabetes Management Program presented State Diabetes Award
Houston Healthcare’s Diabetes Management Program took top honors at the recent State of Georgia Diabetes Conference for Healthcare Professionals held in Athens. Houston Healthcare’s program was recognized for the quality of the program, the comprehensive services offered, program outcomes, as well as the program’s collaborative community efforts.
“The goal of our program since its inception has been to have the best quality program for people living with diabetes in Houston County and the Central Georgia area,” said Beth Jones, RNC, CDE, Houston Healthcare Director of Community Education and Services. “To meet this goal, we achieved national recognition through the American Diabetes Association. The program dietitian, nurse educators and program director all attended additional training and were awarded the title of Certified Diabetes Educators. We are pleased to have been recognized by the State of Georgia for our efforts.”
According to Jones, annual program outcomes continually demonstrate the success of the program for its participants. In 2005, program participants decreased their number of hospitalizations, Emergency Department visits as well as decreasing their blood sugar levels as measured by A1C from previous years. “Our program targets the many needs of persons living with diabetes including offerings of one-to-one assessments, education classes, diet classes, a diabetes cooking school and exercise classes as well as offering flu vaccine and peripheral vascular disease screenings for our participants,” Jones added. “We work well with community partners to enhance diabetes management, including the Houston County Extension Service, Robins Air Force Base, and the Central Georgia Parish Nurse Ministry which is sponsored by Houston Healthcare.”
Diabetes Management is a focus area of Houston Healthcare because seven percent of adults in Georgia have diabetes, while an estimated 200,000 have the disease and do not know it. Diabetes is the primary cause for about 13,000 Georgia hospitalizations each year. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in Georgia.