Patti Keller, RD, LD, CDE; Eileen Hay, RN, CDE; and Denise Bullion, RN, all with The Bellevue Hospital’s Diabetes Education Department, display the accreditation certificate awarded to the program for the next three years. This is the third consecutive three-year accreditation for the local program.

The prestigious American Diabetes Association (ADA) Education Recognition Certificate for a quality diabetes self-management education program was recently awarded to The Bellevue Hospital’s (TBH) Diabetes Education Program. The ADA believes that this program offers high-quality diabetes self-management education that is an essential component of effective diabetes treatment.

            This is the third-consecutive three-year recognition for TBH’s diabetes education program.

            TBH’s Diabetes Education Program also received an on-site audit this past July, and the program received continuing recognition with provision from the Decision Subcommittee of the Education Program Recognition Committee, American Diabetes Association.

            The Association’s Education Recognition Certificate assures that educational programs meet the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs. These standards were developed and tested under the auspices of the National Diabetes Advisory Board in 1983 and were revised by the diabetes community in 1994 and 2000.

            Programs applying for recognition voluntarily submit to a rigorous review process by experts in the field of diabetes who evaluate each program on its ability to provide patients with a comprehensive individualized education program. Programs that achieve recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide participants with comprehensive information about diabetes management.

 “The process gives professionals a national standard by which to measure the quality of services they provide,” said Eileen Hay, RN, Certified Diabetic Educator at The Bellevue Hospital. “And, of course, it helps to assure that the consumer will receive high-quality services.”

In existence for the past 16 years, The Bellevue Hospital’s Diabetes Education Program, which is overseen by Hay, meets monthly for a seven-hour session over three days. It incorporates a diabetic discipline overseen by a nurse educator, dietician, pharmacist, and health counselor.

Hay also oversees the organization of a monthly Diabetes Support Group, which meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the hospital’s East Conference Room. Hay also offers one-on-one diabetes education for those unable to attend any of the classes or support group meetings.

            Education recognition status is verified by an official certificate from the ADA and is awarded for three years.

            According to the ADA, there are 20.8 million people, or 7% 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 that they have this disease. Each day, approximately 4,110 people are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will learn that they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications – heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and nerve disease and amputation. About 1.5 million people will be diagnosed with diabetes this year. It is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States and it has no cure. Based on death certificate data, diabetes contributed to more than 224,092 deaths in 2002.

            The ADA is the nation’s leading non-profit health organization supporting diabetes research, advocacy and information for health professionals, patients and the public. Founded in 1940, the Association has an area office in every state and conducts programs and communities nationwide.

            For more information on The Bellevue Hospital’s Diabetic Education Program, contact Eileen Hay at 419.483.4040, Ext. 4303.