Garrett Regional Medical Center’s Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Program received Full Recognition by the National Diabetes Prevention Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. GRMC is the only healthcare organization in western Maryland to achieve Full Recognition status by the Centers for Disease Control. Specifically, only twelve diabetes prevention programs in Maryland have received this distinction and GRMC is only one of a few fully recognized programs in the state that serves a rural population.
“Meeting all of the requirements to achieve Full Recognition by the CDC reflects our commitment to providing high-quality care in delivering our hospital’s diabetes prevention program,” said Kendra Thayer, Senior Vice President of Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Officer. “We are thrilled to be the leading benchmark for our region’s diabetes prevention programs and this achievement would not be possible without the persistence and hard work of our staff and the program’s participants.”
The national registry of recognized diabetes prevention programs consists of only CDC-recognized organizations that deliver evidence-based type 2 diabetes prevention programs in communities across the United States. These programs must use a CDC-approved curriculum that meets the duration, intensity and reporting requirements described in the Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program. The national registry consists of three categories: participating programs, preliminary recognition and full recognition. More than 1,600 programs are included in the national registry and only 379 have achieved full recognition.
GRMC’s Type 2 prevention program is designed as a structured, lifestyle program and is delivered by Mitzi Wiltison, RN and Certified Diabetes Educator, and Ruth Chisholm, Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist. The year-long program is designed for people who have prediabetes or are at risk for Type 2 diabetes. Specifically, the program’s success is primarily attributed to the supportive atmosphere and camaraderie that is developed within the classes. Participants support one another in their journey to better health by achieving shared incremental goals that include healthy eating, physical activity and weight loss.
“According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 37 percent of Marylanders have prediabetes, and many are unaware that they have the condition. Many with prediabetes also do not understand that they can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes through education and heathy lifestyle changes,” said Mitzi Wiltison, RN, CDE. “The success of our program over the last five years truly belongs to our participants and the tremendous strides they have each made to create positive lifestyle changes and achieve better health. Looking to the future, we hope to continue to grow the program’s participation outcomes and reach more people from throughout our entire service region.”
To take an online prediabetes risk assessment, you can go to https://doihaveprediabetes.org or you may contact GRMC’s diabetes education department at 301-533-4271 to receive an assessment over the phone or by mail.
An information session for the Prevent Type 2 Program will be held on April 16 from 4:30 p..m. to 5:30 p.m. at the hospital. New classes for GRMC’s Prevent Type 2 classes will begin on Tuesday, April 30 at 4:30 p.m. Interested individuals may call 301-533-4271 to learn more.
