ROGERSVILLE - The prestigious American Diabetes Association Recognition Certificate for a quality diabetes self-management education program was awarded to Rural Health Services Consortium, Inc. (Hawkins Medical Center) on December 19, 2008.         This ADA certification is awarded to medical groups for offering high quality diabetes education which is an essential component of effective treatment.
    According to Jean Baltz, educational instructor and coordinator, this ADA recognition process illustrates a national standard by which to measure the quality of services provided by Rural Health Services.
     It assures the patient and their provider of high quality service in their diabetes management program. It also guarantees that the programs meet the national standards for the approved diabetes self management education programs.
    According to the American Diabetes Association, there are approximately 24 million people in the United States who have diabetes which equals 8 percent of the entire population. Tennessee's diabetes prevalence rate of 9.1 percent exceeds the national rate of the population. The percentage of diabetic adult Tennesseans has practically doubled (5.0 percent to 9.1 percent) from 1996 to 2005.
    The national total annual economic cost of diabetes in 2007 was estimated at $174 billion. The Tennessee Department of Health states 78 percent of those diagnosed with diabetes eat less than five fruits and vegetables daily and 84 percent are considered obese or overweight. Many people will first learn of their diabetic condition when they are treated for one of its life threatening complications, i.e., heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness or amputation.
    Rural Health Services Consortium, Inc. and the Hawkins Medical Center goals are to educate and assist diabetic patients with lifestyle changes and management.
    This program schedules appointments individually to meet the educational, social and medical needs of each patient. From early diagnosis to living with diabetes for a lifetime, all patients will benefit from the self management training and educational services.
    For further information regarding the Rural Health Services Diabetes Management Program, please feel free to call 423-257-2082.