In December 2006, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) awarded the Diabetes Program at Boone County Hospital (BCH) an Education Recognition Certificate for a quality diabetes self-management education program; the program was originally recognized in December, 2003. The BCH Diabetes Program offers high-quality education services to the patients it serves. The ADA certificate assures that educational programs meet the national standards for diabetes self-management education programs. Education recognition status is awarded for three years.
Programs apply for recognition voluntarily. The facilities that achieve recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide participants with complete information about diabetes management. “The process gives professionals a national standard by which to measure the quality of services they provide,” says Connie Buss, BCH Diabetes Educator. “It assures the consumer that he or she will receive high-quality services.”
Self-management education is an essential component of diabetes treatment. Assuring high-quality education for patient self-care is one of the primary goals of the recognition program. Through the support of the health care team and increased knowledge and awareness of diabetes, the patient can assume a major part of the responsibility for his/her diabetes management.
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 20.8 million people or 7 percent of the population in the United States who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 6.2 million people are not aware they have this disease. Each day approximately 4,110 people are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will first learn they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications—heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, blindness, nerve disease, and amputation. About 1.5 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2005. Diabetes contributed to 224,092 deaths in 2002. Since 1987, the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45 percent while the death rates due to heart disease, stroke, and cancer have declined.
For more information about diabetes or the BCH Diabetes Program, contact Diabetes Educators Connie Buss, (515) 433-8624, or Cathy Addy, (515) 433-8279. |