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Over 34 million people, or a little over 1 in 10 people, living in the United States have diabetes. More than 1 in 4 of those people do not yet know they have diabetes – they have not yet been diagnosed. If current trends continue, 1 in 3 people born after 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
Diabetes is a serious disease that impacts the body’s ability to produce or respond to insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that helps regulate blood sugar levels to provide energy to the body. It impacts the entire body and poorly controlled diabetes can be associated with other health conditions and complications, including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness as well as lower-limb amputation. However, none of these problems are inevitable for people living with diabetes. An individualized treatment plan to avoid the problems commonly associated with poorly controlled diabetes is the key to successfully living with diabetes.
“Mount Nittany Health is committed to helping people living with diabetes live healthier lives by providing comprehensive diabetes services in our community to ensure patients receive great care that is focused on each person’s individual needs,” shared Susan Trainor, CRNP, CDE, endocrinology, Mount Nittany Physician Group. Mount Nittany Health’s diabetes care team includes physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, dietitians and nurse educators working across the entire health system to provide comprehensive care.
Mount Nittany Medical Center's inpatient diabetes care holds advanced certification for excellence in care from The Joint Commission. Mount Nittany Medical Center is honored to be among the one percent of hospitals in the country with this certification. Achieving this certification signifies that the diabetes services provided within the Medical Center contain the critical elements to achieve long-term success in improving patient outcomes. Mount Nittany Medical Center has earned its certification by demonstrating compliance with requirements for The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification program, as well as inpatient diabetes care-specific standards, clinical practice guidelines and performance measures.
“At Mount Nittany Health we strive to help people live well with diabetes no matter what their stage in life or in their lives living with diabetes,” shared Trainor. “With services tailored to individual needs and goals, our team of experts treats the medical aspects of the disease and also collaborates with other care team members and people living with diabetes to develop new skills and knowledge focusing on healthier ways to manage diabetes on a day-by-day basis.”
Great medical care coupled with education is key to managing the progression of diabetes and preventing or managing existing complications of diabetes. In addition to medical care offered by primary care clinicians and diabetes specialty clinicians, Mount Nittany Health offers additional services focused on patient and family education. Mount Nittany Health’s diabetes self-management education program offers group classes as well as individual sessions with certified diabetes educators at different Mount Nittany Physician Group locations.
Mount Nittany Health’s outpatient diabetes self-management education program is recognized by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). The AADE education recognition effort is a voluntary process that assures that approved education programs have met the national standards for diabetes self-management education programs. Programs that achieve this status have a dedicated team of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide the latest information about diabetes management for participants to assure high-quality education for patient self-care.
Mount Nittany Health’s outpatient diabetes self-management education program provides the tools people living with diabetes need to manage their health, including information on improving lifestyle habits, self-monitoring blood glucose, managing blood glucose levels, better understanding diabetes medical treatment plan and preventing long-term complications.
Diabetes self-management education is an important part of an individualized and collaborative treatment plan developed to help people living with diabetes improve the quality of their lives. Through healthier eating and activity, better medical management and more engagement with disease management, people can reduce the onset or advancement of complications as well as prevent unnecessary emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
Mount Nittany Health offers a monthly diabetes support group for people living with diabetes and their families that is free and open to the public. The diabetes support group is led by certified diabetes educators from Mount Nittany Physician Group. Support group topics are chosen based on attendee needs and concerns, and the meetings often feature guest speakers. Please note, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mount Nittany Health diabetes support group and the diabetes self-management education classes are currently on hold.
For more information about the Mount Nittany Health diabetes education program, call 814.278.4666. Please be aware, certain services will require a referral from your primary care clinician. To learn more about diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association at diabetes.org.
