Mon General Brings National Diabetes Prevention Program to Morgantown

Click here to view Health Talk show about the new National Diabetes Prevention Program.

            Mon General Hospital’s Diabetes Learning Center is bringing the Center for Disease Control’s National Diabetes Prevention Program to the Morgantown area through funding provided by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE).

            The National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) will meet regularly for 16 weeks on Wednesdays from 9-10 a.m. beginning May 22. The program will be held in Mon General’s Hazel Ruby McQuain Conference Center. The program is offered free-of-charge, but space is limited and pre-registration is required.

            While the initial program will be offered on Wednesday mornings, future diabetes prevention classes will be offered at different times and days to meet demand.

            “This program provides the education people need to prevent diabetes,” said Andrea S. McCarty, MS, RD, LD, CDE, Diabetes Education Coordinator in Mon General’s Diabetes Learning Center. “This is for people who do not have diabetes, but who have been told they are at high risk for getting it.”

            To qualify for the NDPP, a person must be at high risk for developing diabetes, or have been diagnosed by a physician as someone with prediabetes. To take a quick assessment to see if you are at risk, you can go to the CDC's NDPP website, www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention.

            Unlike most diabetes programs, physician referral is not required for the prevention program. Participants may refer themselves, provided they meet the prediabetes requirements.

            “AADE is pleased to be partnering with Mon General Hospital,” said Dr. Ruth Lipman, Chief Science and Practice Officer at AADE. “Given the number of West Virginians at risk for Type 2 diabetes, this effective program will change many lives.”
            One out of three adults lives with prediabetes, most of whom are unaware of their condition.  “In West Virginia, 234,000 adults are estimated to have diabetes, including 156,000 who have diabetes and 78,000 who are undiagnosed,” McCarty said. “If you have prediabetes, you are 5 to15 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people with normal blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. However, type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed with a healthy lifestyle, as evidenced through the NDPP.”

            NDPP helps those at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating right, increasing physical activity and losing a modest amount of weight. In a classroom setting, a trained lifestyle coach facilitates a small group of participants in learning about behavior changes over 16 one-hour sessions. Topics include healthier eating, getting started with physical activity, overcoming stress, staying motivated and more. The group helps to motivate and encourage each other.  After the initial 16 core sessions, participants meet monthly for additional support to help maintain their progress.

            To participate in the prevention program, a person must be overweight and have prediabetes or be at high risk. One does not necessarily need a doctor’s referral. Prediabetes is determined by one of the following blood tests: fasting plasma glucose, A1c or 2-hour plasma glucose.

            “In addition, a combination of risk factors such as family history, being overweight or obese, gestational diabetes and inactivity may also put a person at risk and therefore make them eligible for the NDPP,” she said.

            “Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other foods into the energy needed for daily life,” McCarty said. “If it isn’t managed, it can damage many parts of the body, leading to heart attacks, strokes, amputation, blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage.”

            To register for the Diabetes Learning Center of Mon General’s National Diabetes Prevention Program or to learn more about the program, call Andrea McCarty at (304) 598-1805 or email McCartyA@monhealthsys.org.

About the American Association of Diabetes Educators:

Founded in 1973, AADE is a multi-disciplinary professional membership organization dedicated to improving diabetes care through education.  With more than 13,000 professional members including nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, and others, AADE has a vast network of practitioners involved in the daily treatment of diabetes patients.  To learn more go to: www.diabeteseducator.org .