Mercy’s Diabetes Education Center Earns ADA Recertification

SPRINGFIELD — The Diabetes Education Center at Mercy Medical Center has been awarded a four-year recertification by the American Diabetes Assoc. (ADA) Education Recognition Program for providing high-quality education services to the patients it serves.

The ADA Education Recognition effort is a voluntary process which assures that approved education programs have met the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs. According to the ADA, programs that achieve recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide participants with comprehensive information about diabetes management.

Self-management education is an essential component of diabetes treatment, and participants in an ADA-recognized program are taught self-care skills designed to promote better management of their diabetes treatment regimen. All approved education programs cover a comprehensive list of topics to meet the patient’s individual needs. These topics include diabetes disease process; nutritional management; physical activity; medication; monitoring, goal setting, and problem solving; preventing, detecting, and treating acute complications; and preventing, detecting, and treating chronic complications through risk reduction.

“With the support of the healthcare team and increased knowledge and awareness of diabetes, patients are empowered to be more responsible for their diabetes management and the prevention of complications from the disease,” said Jean Klepacki, quality coordinator, Nutrition Education for Mercy’s Diabetes Education Center. “The ADA Education Recognition is a tremendous distinction that not only gives professionals a national standard by which to measure the quality of the services we provide, it also helps consumers to identify these quality programs.”