The St. Mary’s Diabetes Center’s self-management education program in Knoxville and Jefferson City has been awarded continued recognition by the American Diabetes Association for the high-quality educational services it provides to diabetic patients in East Tennessee.  

“We are very proud that our program meets the rigorous national standards established by the ADA,” said Nancye Schenk, RN, LDN, CDE, and program director of St. Mary’s Diabetes Center.  “This award shows that St. Mary’s is providing the latest, evidence-based diabetes information to patients and their families. 

“Diabetes is a growing healthcare concern in America with nearly 24 million children and adults with the disease and it is estimated that nearly 6 million more people are unaware they have diabetes.  This is a disease that lasts a lifetime, but by following your doctor’s advice, eating properly and controlling your risk factors, people with diabetes can have a great quality of life and avoid many of the complications of diabetes.”

Schenk said that the St. Mary’s Diabetes Center self-management education program covers many topics including:

·        Diabetes disease process
·        Nutritional management
·        Physical activity
·        Medication
·        Monitoring blood sugar
·        Preventing, detecting and treating chronic complications
·        Psychological adjustment
·        Diabetes management during pregnancy

Schenk said that proper management of a person’s diabetic condition is important in preventing complications such as heart, dental and vision problems.

“Diabetes can cause damage throughout the body, from your head to your feet and everywhere in between.  Our comprehensive diabetes management program provides individual sessions, group session with a workbook for take-home reference and other workshops that provide additional hands-on learning,” Schenk said. 

Schenk said most of the St. Mary’s Diabetes Center services are covered by Medicare and other health insurance plans with a physician referral.  She suggests checking with your healthcare plan’s administrator for specifics of your coverage. 

The St. Mary’s Diabetes Center’s main offices are located at the St. Mary’s Medical Center with group classes being currently offered at St. Mary’s Medical Center North and St. Mary’s Jefferson Memorial Hospital.  Please call the St. Mary’s Diabetes Center at 865-545-8300 for more information. 

St. Mary’s Diabetes Center is part of Mercy Health Partners.  Mercy was formed by the merger of St. Mary’s Health System and Baptist Health System of East Tennessee in 2008.  The new healthcare system has seven acute care hospitals, more than 1,000 physicians and 5,700 associates using state-of-the-art medical technology to provide the best in compassionate care for patient across East Tennessee. 

For physician referral and service information, call Ask Mercy at 865-632-5200 or toll free at 877-368-7362.  For a complete list of Mercy locations and services, visit the Mercy Web site at www.mercy.com.