Skip to main content

SGMC Diabetes Management Program Receives Certification

Posted on: February 6th, 2013

The Diabetes Self-Management Education Program at South Georgia Medical Center’s Diabetes Management Center has received four-year accreditation from the American Diabetes Association for meeting the national standards for patient self-management education. This is the only hospital-based ADA recognized self-management education program in the region. The Diabetes Management Center has been continuously recognized by the ADA for quality diabetes care for 23 years.Diabetes is a medical condition characterized by the presence of high blood glucose (blood sugar) levels in the body. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, it is one of the most common chronic diseases in Georgia and the United States. In the past 30 years, the number of Americans with diagnosed diabetes has more than tripled from 5.6 million to 25.8 million.  Diabetes and its complications are serious, costly medical conditions that affect both children and adults. It crosses social and economic boundaries and affects persons of various ethnic backgrounds. In our region, the Centers for Disease Control report the following percentages of persons with diabetes (2009 data).Lowndes 11.9%Brooks 12.6%Cook 11.5%Lanier 11.7%Clinch 11.1%Berrien 10.5%Diabetes Management Center Nurse Manager Dawn S. Taylor, RN, MSN, CNL, CDE says, “Our goal is to provide individuals with diabetes the knowledge and skills they need to manage the disease and lead healthy lives. Our education program is a valuable resource for patients with diabetes and for their physicians, as well.”The American Diabetes Association certification assures patients they are receiving state-of-the-art information about diabetes management from expert staff.  The certification gives professionals a national standard by which to measure the quality of the services they provide and it helps consumers identify these quality programs. At SGMC’s Diabetes Management Center, one-on-one sessions and group classes are tailored to meet each individual patient’s needs and include continuous glucose monitoring and training to use an insulin pump, nutritional counseling, coping and problem solving, healthy goal setting and follow up.For more information, talk with your physician or contact the Diabetes Management Center at 229-249-4121.