November 14 is World Diabetes Day, a day set aside by the International Diabetes Federation, the World Health Organization and the United Nations to raise awareness of those in diabetes care.

The day was chosen because it's the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who, along with Charles Best, discovered insulin in 1922.

An estimated 537 million people worldwide are living with diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation, and 1 in 3 people nationally have prediabetes.

In the tri-state area, Meritus Health offers diabetes and prediabetes classes to help folks manage the disease or prevent it.

And there's good reason for that, too, said Karessa Cameron, RN, BSN, CDCES, diabetes class educator, and Cindy Missling, diabetes prevention educator.

In 2022, the Community Needs Health Assessment conducted by Healthy Washington County, of which Meritus Health is a part, found that while diabetes prevalence at 10.3% is similar to the rest of the state, Washington County has the second-highest rate of death as a result of diabetes at 32%.

The assessment also noted: "Given the higher than average rates for physical inactivity, and being overweight and obese in our community, residents are at higher risk for prediabetes and developing diabetes in the future."

"These findings are a wake-up call for our community," Cameron said. "Promoting physical activity and healthy weight management isn't just about prevention; it's about saving lives."

You can enroll in Meritus classes that focus on preventing type 2 diabetes if you are overweight and your A1C is between 5.7 and 6.4.

There are 26 classes over one year that teach you how to change your lifestyle. This includes building healthy habits and eating healthier without giving up foods you love. It also reviews how to add exercise to your daily routine, how to deal with stress and how to cope with the challenges of prediabetes.

"Prediabetes classes offer more than just information -- they build a supportive community, helping participants create lifelong habits that reduce the risk of diabetes," Missling said. "Guided by trained coaches and shared goals, these programs at Meritus empower people to make lasting, healthy changes."

Meritus Diabetes Self-Management Education is a comprehensive resource for people diagnosed with diabetes. It requires a provider referral.

The program can offer a one-on-one session with a diabetes educator, a medical nutrition therapy appointment with a dietitian and up to 10 hours of individual or group education in the first year. Patients are eligible for two hours of follow-up education each year indefinitely.

"The goal for diabetes education is to teach individuals how to self-manage their diabetes and have access to needed resources and support," Cameron said." The diabetes education classes and one-on-one sessions teach ways to manage diabetes with topics such as healthy eating, meal planning, physical exercise, screenings, blood sugar monitoring, to avoid complications of diabetes and maintain healthy living."

This ties in with "Breaking barriers, bridging gaps," which is the theme of World Diabetes Day. That includes putting a spotlight on mental health and well-being for those in diabetes care.

"Meritus' mission is to improve the health of the community, and that means whole health -- body and mind," Missling said. "Having these classes available allows us to support our community members living with diabetes and have a healthy life."

To learn more about Meritus diabetes education, visit www.meritushealth.com/DiabetesEducation.

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