Springfield College Hosts Challenge Diabetes Program

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College Exercise Science and Sport Studies Chair Dr. Sue Guyer has partnered with director of the YMCA Challenge Diabetes Program (CDP) Chet Galaska, to offer a free “Challenge Diabetes Program” at the Springfield College Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, located at 385 Eastern Ave. in Springfield.

Class options will be: Feb. 26, March 5, and March 12 from either noon to 1 p.m. or 6 to 7 p.m. This program is a continuation of Guyer’s on-campus initiative while serving as the 2017-18 Springfield College Distinguished Professor of Humanics.

“CDP is a pilot program that helps diabetics understand their disease and teaches simple, effective ways to reduce blood glucose levels immediately,” said Galaska, who also is author of the book, The Diabetes Book, What Everyone Should Know. “The program is presented by a person who has diabetes and knows first hand the difficulties and frustrations of fighting it. Each class includes time for questions, answers and peer support.”  

The classes are part of a clinical study to substantiate CDP’s effectiveness. For this reason, participants are asked to report their last A1c before CDP and the first one after. The CDP will help provide the participants the knowledge to help lower their A1c. The program’s goal is to provide an efficient way to reach, teach and motivate diabetics who would otherwise ignore the disease and suffer complications such as blindness, amputations, heart disease and others. Attendees will benefit personally but the entire community will be helped if CDP is shown to be effective.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that causes blood sugar levels to rise higher than normal. In the United States, more than 30 million people already have diabetes and more than 86 million have prediabetes or are at risk of developing diabetes.

The diabetes epidemic is local as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in three adults in Hampden County has prediabetes and is at risk for type 2 diabetes, the highest rate in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.