Westerly Hospital Offers “Managing Your Diabetes” Education Program

WESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND, November 28, 2011: The Westerly Hospital will be offering a comprehensive, five-week course in January to help patients gain practical knowledge and skills needed to manage diabetes successfully.  The course will be conducted by a multidisciplinary team of dieticians, nurses, and pharmacists of The Westerly Hospital who are all Certified Diabetes Outpatient Educators (CDOE).  

The course will cover the fundamentals of nutritional management, label reading, meal planning options, guidelines for eating out and special occasions, glucose monitoring, medication management, insulin treatment and administration, sick-day care, foot care, exercise, stress management, and preventing complications. With a physician’s referral, many health insurers cover the cost of these sessions.  Be sure to call your individual health insurance provider to determine if your plan covers diabetes education sessions.   

Classes will be held every Thursday beginning January 12 through February 9, 2012 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, in the Henry J. Nardone Conference Center at The Westerly Hospital.  Class size is limited.  For more information and to register, please call The Westerly Hospital’s Diabetes Clinic at 401-348-3533 or 800-933-5960 extension 3533, or send an email to:  diabetes@westerlyhospital.org. 

In addition to this group course, The Westerly Hospital offers individual, one-on-one instruction with a Certified Diabetes Outpatient Educator which is available by appointment by calling 401-348-3533 or 800-933-5960 extension 3533.   The Westerly Hospital will also be sponsoring a free, monthly diabetes support group on the first Wednesday of every month beginning January 4, 2012.  The program will be held from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Diabetes and Endocrinology Center at the North Stonington Health Center, North Stonington, CT.  For information, contact the Westerly Hospital Diabetes Clinic at 401-348-3533 or toll-free at 800-348-5960 ext. 3533 or send an email to:  diabetes@westerlyhospital.org.

The Westerly Hospital is a 125-bed hospital that provides Washington (RI) and New London (CT) County residents a wide array of medical, surgical, laboratory and rehabilitative services using state-of-the-art technology in an intimate, community hospital setting.  With 135 primary and specialty physicians dedicated to the patients they serve, the hospital has earned one of the highest patient satisfaction rankings in the country.  From birth, through emergencies and advanced procedures, the hospital serves the entire community with family-centered medical care that’s leading edge, yet respectful, compassionate, committed and accountable to our patients.