Type 1 Diabetes Education

Your ability to control your diabetes is the key to living healthy. If you are a newly-diagnosed child or adult, we provide education on giving yourself insulin, monitoring blood glucose at home, testing ketones (substances in blood or urine associated with diabetes), making basic meal plans and managing high or low extremes in blood sugar. You’ll learn daily management skills such as carbohydrate counting, adjusting insulin, and managing exercise and sick days. We’ll also teach you how to handle a multiple-daily-injection or insulin pump routine.

About Our Classes

Classes are conducted by registered dietitians and nurses who are certified as diabetes and insulin pump educators. Small classes allow you to meet others who are managing diabetes. It’s one reason why we’ve been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” for endocrinology, which includes diabetes care. We are also recognized by the American Diabetes Association as a provider of Quality Self-Management Education.

To Enroll

Ask your physician for a referral. After we receive it, we’ll contact you to schedule your first session. We offer convenient weekday hours, and late afternoon and evening programs. When you come to your first class, bring your blood glucose monitor, blood sugar records and supplies.

If You’re On Medicare Part B

You’re eligible for medical nutritional therapy, a one-on-one visit with a dietitian to help lower blood glucose and cholesterol. You’ll learn about meal planning, carbohydrate counting, shopping tips and label reading.

Coverage includes three hours in the first year and two hours per year for follow-up services. Medical nutritional therapy does not replace the program offered by the Helwig Health and Diabetes Center. Rather, it is a complement to our program, both of which are reimbursed by Medicare.

Camp Red Jacket – Helping Children with Diabetes

At Camp Red Jacket, we help children with type 1 diabetes find the answers to their questions about managing this serious disease. We do it in a fun, game-based environment that lets kids be kids. Here, your child will gain confidence and find camaraderie with other children as they explore different strategies for managing their diabetes together. And, we invite parents to join us too! To learn more, click here.


This page last updated 1/8/09 08:52 PM

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