Editor, the Daily Clarion

Part 1 of a 2-part series

PRINCETON-Gibson General Hospital's Lifestyles Diabetes Center staff hoped, organizing last August, to reach 104 patients in its first year.

Five months into the program, the clinic is already helping 150 people manage the &#8220silent" disease, said coordinator Sharon Goodman.

Goodman is an RN who works as the diabetes nurse educator at the center a half-block south of Gibson General's emergency room door.

The tools clients develop with education about eating, monitoring blood glucose and healthy living may be the key to keeping them out of the emergency room.

Goodman said more than 20 million Americans have diabetes, a disease that can lead to heart trouble, kidney failure, blindness, amputation and stroke.

Diabetes affects seven percent of the U.S. population. According to reports, 14.6 million Americans have been diagnosed, leaving 6.2 million people unaware that they have the disease. Another 41 million people may have elevated blood glucose levels that put them at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, she said.

Lifestyles Diabetes Center and Gibson General cooperate with Genesis Health Alliance hospitals, a group of 19 hospitals in the tri-state, in a diabetes awareness initiative.

The local clinic offers diabetes education and a series of free glucose screenings to the public March 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Gibson General Hospital's health and education room.

The blood sugar, or glucose test, is conducted by drawing a small mount of blood from the finger. Test results are available within seconds.

Glucose levels higher than the healthy benchmark of 140 milligrams per deciliter are considered in the danger zone for diabetes, and follow-up tests with a health care provider are recommended, she said.

The March event is scheduled in conjunction with American Diabetes Alert, a national campaign of the American Diabetes Association, said Goodman.

&#8220Diabetes is becoming more prevalent every day, but it's a silent disease," she explained. &#8220There are so many people who don't know they have it - or that they are even at risk for it.

&#8220By offering these screenings, and more importantly, educating people about the risks and symptoms of the disease, we believe we will help people catch the disease in its early stages and help them to manage the disease and prevent long-term complications."

Goodman said the local initiative's goal is to reach Gibson and Pike County residents through improved community education. A community education program is planned at the hospital April 18 from 5:30-7 p.m.

The initiative also sponsors a diabetes support group, which is forming next week, and is planning an American Diabetes Association walk to raise awareness.

For more information, contact Goodman or program assistant Cathy Barton at 385-9485.

Tomorrow: A diabetic's story of diagnosis and managing the disease.