Living with diabetes is easier with unconditional support

Being diagnosed with diabetes can be overwhelming. Although diabetes is a manageable chronic condition, and people with diabetes can live full, healthy lives, people who are newly diagnosed with diabetes often have to make a lot of nutrition and lifestyle changes that can be hard to navigate without help.

Evergreen provides comprehensive care for patients with diabetes and patients who are at risk for diabetes, including primary and specialty care, Hemoglobin A1c testing, care coordination, food pantry, and diabetes management support from our on-site registered dietician and certified diabetes educator, Sarah Stimpson.

Registered dietician and diabetes education services

Sarah works with patients of all ages who have been recently diagnosed with diabetes or are having trouble managing their diabetes to help them meet their individual health needs and goals. Patients are referred to Sarah by their primary care provider, and she offers both in-person and telehealth appointments.

When she first meets with a patient, Sarah works with them to explore their lab history, weight and diet history, and gets to know their current diet by asking what foods they have in their house. They set a few small goals at a time — Sarah says, “I try to meet patients in a place where the goals we set are doable for them.”

Depending on each individual’s needs, diabetes education patients meet with Sarah every three months or so until they’ve met their goals. Sarah says her favorite part of her job is working with patients – “it’s rewarding to see the changes they make.”

Sarah also offers one-on-one counseling to patients who are at risk of developing diabetes, and for patients without diabetes who have goals around obesity, nutrition or weight loss. Sarah and her patients explore topics like balancing meals, increasing fiber, reducing sugar intake, reading nutrition facts labels, smart snacking, and shopping on a budget.

Sarah volunteers monthly at the Evergreen food pantry, and can educate patients who use the food pantry on how to use the food they receive there to make nutritious meals at home.

Managing stress helps manage diabetes

Sarah says that managing diabetes can be stressful – “a lot of our patients do have high stress levels with everything going on in their life, and they often have barriers to meeting their health goals.”

Patients with diabetes are eligible for free programs at Evergreen’s THRIVE Wellness Center that help them manage their stress, like guided imagery, meditation, acupuncture and art therapy.

THRIVE also offers weekly cooking classes that teach patients the skills they need to cook food that meets their dietary needs at home. Patients that attend cooking classes can receive a medically tailored meal that’s low carb, low salt, and high protein.

Primary and specialty care for patients with diabetes

Evergreen’s Primary Care team evaluates our patients’ comprehensive risk factors, like family history, smoking, and heart disease, and recommends a plan that is catered to the patient’s needs, including culturally competent care.

Evergreen’s patient partnership and whole-person approach to diabetes management was recognized with a Gold Award by the American Diabetes Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes care improvement program. Our 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 offers podiatry (foot and ankle care), which is important for patients with diabetes, who are more likely to face complications with the health of their feet and ankles. If you have diabetes, ask your primary care provider if they recommend you see a podiatrist.

Patients with diabetes can also be eligible for care coordination services at Evergreen. Care coordinators can help patients make and get to medical appointments, overcome any barriers to care, and navigate the healthcare system.

This American Diabetes Month, we encourage you to learn more about diabetes and its risk factors, attend your annual primary care appointment to get preventative screenings, and to take full advantage of Evergreen’s certified diabetes educator services and THRIVE Wellness programs if you are a person living with diabetes.

We’re accepting new adult and pediatric primary care patients. Call us at 716.847.2441 (option 5) or fill out our new patient request form to learn more.