Submitted by Ryma Lindquist, WWH
BALDWIN, WI – The American Diabetes Association (ADA), the nation’s leading organization committed to fighting diabetes by driving discovery through research and innovation, intensifying the urgency around the diabetes epidemic, and supporting people living with and affected by diabetes. Has announced the recognition of the Western Wisconsin Health (WWH) Diabetes Self-Management Services (DSMES) through the Education Recognition Program (ERP). The DSMES service was originally recognized in September of 2023.
The ADA’s Education Recognition Certificate assures that educational services meet the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES). The DSMES Standards were developed and tested under the auspices of the National Diabetes Advisory Board in 1983 and were revised by the diabetes community in 1994, 2000, 2007, 2012 and 2017. The ERP promotes quality Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) for people with diabetes by certifying that services adhere to the National Standards for DSMES. Services certified by the ADA’s ERP program offer a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide participants with comprehensive information about diabetes management. Services apply for recognition voluntarily, and ADA-ERP recognition lasts for four years.
“Daily self-management skills are absolutely essential for people to effectively navigate the 24/7 challenges of living with diabetes, helping to keep them healthy and prevent or delay the serious complications of diabetes,” said Linda Cann, MSEd, the ADA’s senior vice president of professional services. “We applaud the WWH Diabetes Self-Management Services for its commitment to providing high-quality, evidence-based education and support for people with diabetes by meeting the National Standards for DSME/S and earning the ADA’s ERP recognition.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) 2017 National Diabetes Statistic Report there are 30.3 million people or 9.4% of the population in the United States who have diabetes. While an estimated 23.1 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 7.2 million people are not aware that they have this disease. Each day, more than 4,110 Americans are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will first learn that they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications – heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, nerve disease, and amputation. Diabetes continues to be the seventh leading cause of death in the US—in 2015, it contributed to 252,806 deaths. The ADA’s Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2017 confirms diabetes as the nation’s most expensive chronic health care condition at $327 billion.
Nearly half of American adults have diabetes or prediabetes; more than 30 million adults and children have diabetes; and every 21 seconds, another individual is diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. Founded in 1940, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization whose mission is to prevent and cure diabetes, and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. The ADA drives discovery by funding research to treat, manage and prevent all types of diabetes, as well as to search for cures; raises voice to the urgency of the diabetes epidemic; and works to safeguard policies and programs that protect people with diabetes. In addition, the ADA supports people living with diabetes, those at risk of developing diabetes, and the health care professionals who serve them through information and programs that can improve health outcomes and quality of life.
For more information, please call the ADA at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit diabetes.org. Find us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn).
