Lunch ‘n’ Learn about Diabetes

Lunch ‘n’ Learn about Diabetes

Forrest City Medical Center hosts diabetes education program in West Memphis

Forrest City Medical Center

FORREST CITY — Diabetes is a condition with serious complications, including heart disease, stroke, amputation, endstage kidney disease, blindness, and death. The disease is growing at an epidemic rate in the United States, with nearly 30 million Americans having Diabetes and facing its devastating consequences.

Almost 15 percent of the adult population in Arkansas has Diabetes, and it is estimated that approximately 75,000 Arkansans have the disease and don’t know it because they have never been diagnosed (Source: American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Prevalence: 2014 state diagnosed diabetes prevalence, cdc.gov/diabetes/data; 2012 state undiagnosed diabetes prevalence, Dall et al., ”The Economic Burden of Elevated Blood Glucose Levels in 2012”, Diabetes Care, December 2014, vol.

37.Diabetes Incidence: 2014 state diabetes incidence rates, cdc.gov/diabetes/ data). With figures like these, it’s likely that Diabetes in some way affects almost every household or family in eastern Arkansas, which is why Forrest City Medical Center will offer a Diabetes Education Program at East Arkansas Family Health Center in West Memphis.

This program provides persons suffering from Diabetes with valuable information and the tools necessary to manage the disease and live a healthier lifestyle. The program is not limited to persons diagnosed with Diabetes, but is open to anyone wishing to learn more about the disease. The Diabetes Education Program is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 14, at noon in the Community Room of East Arkansas Family Health Center on 7th Street in West Memphis. Information will be presented by Yolanda White, RN, and Nurse Educator at Forrest City Medical Center. There is no charge to attend the program, however advance registration is required and a light lunch will be served to all registered attendees. To register, call East Arkansas Family Health Center at (870) 7353842, extension 6382.

By Janet Benson