St. Mary’s is one of the first 38 hospitals in the nation to earn The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Inpatient Diabetes Care.

Through education and lifestyle changes, diabetes can be managed. St. Mary’s is committed to helping you manage your diabetes. The Diabetes Education Department at St. Mary’s is accredited by the American Diabetes Association and offers individual appointments followed by two diabetes education classes. These classes cover all aspects of diabetes self-management from nutrition to reducing risk of diabetes-related complications.

St. Mary’s Diabetes Support Group meets monthly in addition to the education classes. For complete meeting details please visit the Class Calendar.

St. Mary’s will help you to:

Learn about diabetes self-management:

• Healthy eating
• Physical activity
• The medical management of diabetes
• Reducing risk of long-term complications

Persons who may benefit from these educational programs include:

• Newly diagnosed persons with diabetes
• Persons previously diagnosed who need updated information
• Persons living with diabetes, family, friends, and others who want to be trained in self-care strategies to reduce complications of diabetes
• Persons who need insulin pump training
• Persons affected by diabetes during pregnancy

St. Mary’s Diabetes Education Department will work with the patient, the patient’s family, and the patient’s physician to prevent long-term complications, improve diabetes management and blood glucose levels, and improve the quality of life. A physician’s referral is needed.

For more information on the Diabetes Education Department, please call (706) 389-2060 or (800) 233-7864 ext. 2060.