Diabetes

People in greater Franklin County who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes have an opportunity to attend classes that will educate them on how to reduce their risk. Classes begin on Tuesday, March 6, at the Waynesboro YMCA, 810 E. Main St., Waynesboro, Pa. The program includes 12 weekly sessions on nutrition, behavior and exercise changes. Following those sessions, participants are then asked to attend six months of bi-monthly support classes. To be eligible to attend, you must have one of the following: Body mass index of 25 or more; pre-diabetes; high blood pressure; high cholesterol; a history of diabetes during pregnancy.

A program about obtaining freedom from diabetes without medication will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, at Hagerstown Seventh-day Adventist Church, 11507 Robinwood Drive, east of Hagerstown. For more information, call 301-733-4411.

West Virginia University Hospitals-East and the WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center Eastern Division will sponsor a community mini-medical school program on diabetes. The seminar, "Diabetes 101," will be Tuesday, April 17, in the WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center on the City Hospital campus. An update on the signs, symptoms, prevention and treatment of diabetes will be presented. The featured speaker is Dr. Sheila Ramirez, an endocrinologist with WVUH-East Endocrinology in Martinsburg and a clinical assistant professor at the WVU School of Medicine.

Power to Prevent is a free lifestyle program that helps adults who have and are at risk for type 2 diabetes to become more physically active and to eat healthier more often.   Registration is required, and class size is limited. Registration is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, at Frederick County Health Department, Auditorium (use entrance C), 350 Montevue Lane, Frederick. The Power to Prevent program meets for 12 sessions.  Each session is held once a week for 2 hours.

Each day, some 1,700 people are diagnosed with diabetes. It is more common amoung African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders. You are at higher risk if: You are older than 45 You are overweight You do not exercise regularly You have a family history of diabetes You are a woman who has had a baby weighed more than 9 pounds at birth

Emmanuel United Methodist Church will host a class on diabetes management at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, at the church, 912 Summit Ave., Hagerstown. The public is invited.

Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States. The annual cost of diabetes in 2002 was estimated to be $132 billion, or one out of every 10 health-care dollars spent in the nation. According to Susan Akridge, program manager of Robinwood Endocrinology, the elevated blood glucose associated with diabetes causes damage to the body's cells. It also can lead to complications such as blindness, kidney disease, nerve disease and amputation. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness with 12,000 to 24,000 people a year losing their sight due to diabetes.

Penn State Extension Franklin County is offering a Dining with Diabetes class from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 7 through 28. $40; $55 for a family. Penn State Extension, 181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg, Pa. For information on Dining for Diabetes classes in Franklin County, contact Rayna Cooper at the Adams County Extension office at 717- 334-6271 or email rgc15@psu.edu . To register, call 877-489-1398 or go to www.cvent.com/d/2cqnl8 .

The Washington County Health Department will offer a program, titled "STOP" (Strategies to Overcome Prediabetes) for both individuals who are at high risk of developing diabetes and individuals with diabetes. The five-week program will be held on Tuesdays, April 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the health department at 1302 Pennsylvania Ave. in Hagerstown. The program costs $35. The STOP program is designed to assist people with prediabetes and diabetes in making important lifestyle changes.

A report released earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control suggests that racial and ethnic minorities and people with low incomes are more likely to suffer from cancer, diabetes and heart disease than whites and people with higher incomes. The 2007 National Healthcare Disparities Report, released in February 2008, examined the quality and access to health care for sub-populations throughout the U.S, looking mostly at 2004 and 2005 data. The report determined that disparities in quality and access for minority groups and poor populations had not been significantly reduced.

Penn State Extension will hold its Dining with Diabetes workshop in Chambersburg and Waynesboro, Pa. With funding from Summit Endowment, the program is offered at a low cost and includes six classes. The series is offered at no cost for beneficiaries of Medicare and Medicaid. The cost for the six classes is $40 for an individual or $55 for a family of two.  A special incentive for the Franklin County program is that each paid individual or family registrant will receive a $20 registration rebate for program completion, reducing the final cost.

 The American Diabetes Association and the Frederick County Diabetes Coalition will show clips of "Choices," in HBO's "Weight Of The Nation" series from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 18, at the FMH Wellness Center at Francis Scott Key Mall.   A panel discussion will follow. Popcorn will be provided. To RSVP or for other questions, call Kayla Twain at 410-265-0075, ext. 4678.

When Debra Crawford was in her 20s, she received a life-changing diagnosis. She had diabetes. From that moment on, every day, every hour would require constant, unwavering attention to meals, lifestyle and medication. The Hagerstown woman would learn the importance of willpower and self restraint and would walk a Goldilocks tightrope, making sure her sugar levels weren't too low or too high. Food was no longer just food. It was a chart of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and serving sizes.

Diabetes Motorcycle Ride will be Saturday, Oct. 20, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 51 S. Main St., Smithsburg. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Ride begins at 10:30 a.m. Cost is $20 per motorcycle and driver; $10 for any additional passenger. Lunch and music are free to riders and passengers.   There will be drawings and raffles throughout the day. Free T-shirt for a minimum donation of $50. Monies will benefit Camp Merrick, a diabetes camp for children. Call 301-824-3521.

Penn State Extension is offering a class on diabetes lifestyle. “Dining with Diabetes: A Program for Adults with Diabetes and their Families,” is designed to teach people how to juggle the lifestyle factors necessary to manage type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. Each participant will receive a recipe book, two exercise DVDs, a pedometer, a stretch band and a blood test to measure recent blood sugar levels. Each class, taught by a registered dietitian, offers food demonstrations, mild physical activity and discussion.

Pam Gesford, RN, was named City Hospital's Quality Service Award winner for May. Each month, the hospital's Service Award Committee selects an employee to receive the Quality Service Award. Gesford, an outpatient diabetes nurse educator, was nominated for assisting a co-worker in need of gestational diabetes education that was not covered by insurance. “Pam has always given her best to whatever role she has served since joining City Hospital in 1980,” a co-worker stated on the nomination form.

Penn State Extension is offering an interactive workshop on managing diabetes through meal preparation and planning and fun physical activity from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, at the Recreation Center, 235 S. Third St., Chambersburg. The class will be offered in English and Spanish, with translation, and is meant for people with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes,  along with a family member, if desired. This program is offered as an introduction to "Dining with Diabetes," which is a multi-class series designed to teach people how to juggle the lifestyle factors necessary to manage type 2 diabetes and/or pre-diabetes.

The Diabetes Support Group at Walnut Towers will meet Wednesday, July 18, at 1:30 p.m. in the eighth-floor community room.   The program will be “Myths of Diabetes Revealed.”  John Lipscomb, from Advanced Diabetic Solutions, will be available for diabetic shoe fittings and glucometers.  The group is open to individuals who live at Walnut Towers and anyone in the community. It provides a forum for educating individuals with diabetes to help manage their disease and to gain support from others.  For more information, call Lisa McCoy, Nutrition and Wellness Services, at 240-313-3360 (TTY 240-313-3391)

Participants learn how to live well with diabetes in the Living Well with Diabetes class. Meetings are from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Fridays, July 13 through Aug. 24, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 15 Randolph Ave., Hagerstown. For more information, call Dawn Reynolds at 301-790-8907.

The West Virginia University Berkeley County Extension Office is offering the Dining with Diabetes Program at 6 p.m. Wednesdays, June 6, 13, 20 and 27 at the Bedington Ruritan Building, 3947 Williamsport Pike, Martinsburg. A follow-up meeting will be schedule for September. This 2-1/2 hour class is open to anyone with diabetes or pre-diabetes, or their family members. The classes are free but space is limited and registration is required. Participants must attend all class sessions.  Up-to-date information is shared about nutrition, meal planning, exercise and understanding common diabetes-related medical tests.