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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

  • More than 34 million people in the United States have diabetes and 1 in 5 of them don't know they have it.
  • More than 88 million US adults - over a third of the population - have prediabetes, and more than 84% of them don't know they have it.
  • Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States (and maybe under-reported).
  • Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90 - 9% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes; type 1 diabetes accounts for approximately 5 - 10%.
  • In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese.
  • Diabetes is costly for the individual and for the country:
    • Medical costs and lost work and wages for people with diagnosed diabetes total $327 million each year.
    • Medical costs for people with diabetes are twice as high as for people who don't have diabetes.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy.

Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body's cells for use as energy.

If you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn't enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, that can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.

Did you know?

  • Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult blindness.
  • In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled.

For more information, go to: https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html

Do you have Diabetes?

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) services help people with diabetes learn how to take the best care of themselves. Ask your doctor for a referral to DSMES services to help you manage your diabetes.

The Diabetes Education Program includes:

  • Annual Follow-up
  • Basic Diabetes Survival Skills
  • Basic Meal Planning
  • Carbohydrate Counting
  • Diabetes Self-Management Group Classes
  • Gestational Diabetes Nutrition
  • Weight Management
  • Cardiac Nutrition
  • Insulin Medication Therapy
  • Insulin Pump Therapy
  • Individual Counseling

We accept most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. Most insurance plans provide a benefit for this diabetes education program. The hospital can assist with verifying your benefits prior to attending class. To attend our Outpatient Diabetes Self-Management Education Classes, please call to schedule at 240-677-2130.

Prediabetes - Your Chance to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Prediabetes is really common - more than 88 million US adults have it, though more than 84% don't know they do. Before developing Type 2 diabetes, most people have prediabetes where their blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough yet to be diagnosed with diabetes.

The good news is that prediabetes can be reversed.

To learn more about prediabetes, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/prediabetes.html

Ready to see where you stand? Take the 1-minute prediabetes risk test. If your score shows your risk is high, visit your doctor for a simple blood test to confirm your result.

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