Diabetes care is about more than just insulin

Each November is American Diabetes Month, a month-long celebration and education event held by the American Diabetes Association to bring awareness to the challenges faced by more than 34 million Americans living with diabetes.

This year, American Diabetes Month is bringing awareness to how the scenery has changed for people navigating life with diabetes since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The health impacts of COVID-19, along with rising health care costs and economic inequity, have all raised the stakes for people with diabetes: among the Americans who have died from COVID-19, 40% were living with diabetes.

At Evergreen we know that you are more than your chronic condition, and that the challenges you face are more than just your symptoms. We don’t just treat diabetes, we treat the whole person — unconditionally. Evergreen’s THRIVE Wellness program offers free services to patients living with diabetes to address their emotional, nutritional, physical and social needs so they have the support they need to better care for their diabetes.

Primary or specialty care patients at Evergreen who have been recently diagnosed with diabetes are eligible to participate in our Diabetes Education Program. The program aims to educate people with diabetes about their health needs, set individual health goals, and achieve these goals through nutrition. Patients in the Diabetes Program meet with our in-house registered dietician for one-on-one sessions once a month for 12 to 18 months, and can also participate in group cooking sessions once a month.

“Our favorite recipe this year was the Crustless Spinach Quiche,” said Barbara Aviles, THRIVE Wellness’s Navigation Assistant, who leads the group cooking classes. “It’s a great recipe to introduce healthy protein, high fiber, low carb eating for managing diabetes.”

The Diabetes Education Program pairs patients with the diabetes team for monthly one-on-one sessions. Some areas they explore together are “balancing meals, increasing fiber, reducing sugar intake, reading nutrition facts labels, smart snacking, and shopping on a budget,” explains Sarah Stimpson, Registered Dietician. Patients in the program even get a monthly gift card for groceries to put their new skills from class into practice at home.

The Diabetes Education Program currently has 52 participants, the vast majority of whom have lowered their blood sugars during their time in the program with the help of Evergreen’s supportive and collaborative approach.

We know that treating people with diabetes is about more than insulin and nutrition: people are better able to take care of their health conditions when their other needs are met. That’s why THRIVE Wellness offers programs to support the physical, mental and social health of people living with chronic illnesses; like art therapy and yoga classes, acupuncture, smoking cessation groups, and groups to support other chronic health conditions like heart disease and HIV.

This year Evergreen’s Primary Care department was recognized for our participation in the American Diabetes Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes care improvement program. Director of Health & Wellness James Thompson says, “we achieved this through our innovative approach to reducing patient’s A1c and glucose levels by treating the whole patient, using food as medicine, and empowering patients to make better lifestyle choices around food.”

Evergreen also added podiatry (foot and ankle care) to our specialty care department this year. People living with diabetes are more likely to face complications with the health of their feet and ankles. If you have diabetes, ask your primary physician if they recommend you see a podiatrist.

This American Diabetes Month, we encourage you to learn more about diabetes and its risk factors, to get screened if you are at risk, and to take full advantage of Evergreen’s Diabetes Education Program and other Wellness programs if you are a person living with diabetes.

Evergreen’s THRIVE program is designed to help patients manage their health conditions by addressing emotional, nutritional, physical and social needs. All primary and specialty care patients are eligible to participate in THRIVE programs. Call us at 716-847-2441 and ask to speak with someone at THRIVE Wellness for more information.