Southcoast Program Helps Local Residents Keep Diabetes Under Control

“I feel great — absolutely wonderful,” Graham said. Like many people successfully managing their diabetes, Graham has help. As a participant in Southcoast’s Diabetes Management Program, she has learned to administer her insulin with an insulin pump.

The Diabetes Management Program is an aggressive attempt to address the growing incidence of diabetes locally. “Our educational services empower people by teaching them to manage their diabetes so that they can live healthy, productive and active lives as free as possible from serious complications,” said Program Coordinator, Amy Kopchell.

The yearlong program, focusing on diabetes education and management also provides information on nutrition, exercise, meal planning, blood sugar monitoring and handling complications.

Uncontrolled diabetes causes fluctuations in blood sugar that can ultimately lead to such complications as blindness, kidney and cardiovascular disease, poor circulation and amputation.

Certified by the American Diabetes Association, Southcoast’s Diabetes Management Program is staffed by seven certified diabetes educators who rotate among the three Southcoast hospitals. All diabetes educators are either registered nurses or dietitians and are cross-trained to be knowledgeable in all aspects of diabetes education and management.

For patients like Graham, who has type 1 diabetes, becoming educated about the disorder — and finding strong support — has given her many reasons to be hopeful about the future. Her new insulin pump therapy is working well. She’s no longer tired all the time. She walks regularly, does yard work and eats well-balanced meals.

And when Graham has questions about any aspect of her treatment regimen, she knows she can count on her diabetes educators at Southcoast.

“It’s great to know there’s always someone there who can give you intelligent answers,” she said.

For more information on Southcoast’s Diabetes Management Program, please call Charlton Memorial Hospital Diabetes Management at 508-679-7143, St. Luke’s Hospital Diabetes Management at 508-994-4415, Ext. 212 or Tobey Hospital Diabetes Management at 508-273-4173.

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