News & Media

July, 2009

FATIMA HOSPITAL RECOGNIZED BY AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION
FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIABETES EDUCATION

Our Lady of Fatima Hospital is pleased to announce that its Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) program has received certification from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). As a certified program, the Diabetes Self-Management Education program at Fatima is one of only 11 in Rhode Island recognized as meeting the national standards for excellence set by the American Diabetes Association.

According to the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) is a critical element of care for people with diabetes. In awarding this certification to Fatima, the ADA believes that Fatima's program offers high-quality education that is an essential component of effective diabetes treatment.

The Education Recognition Certification assures that educational programs meet the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs. As a voluntary process, this achievement recognizes that the hospital has a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide participants with comprehensive information about diabetes management.

"This accreditation is the result of an excellent team effort representing a variety of key programs and departments at the hospital," said John M. Fogarty, Our Lady of Fatima Hospital president and CEO. "And, of course, it assures patients and providers that they have access to the highest-quality diabetes education services."

According to the American Diabetes Association, each day approximately 4,110 people are diagnosed with diabetes, with many first learning 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.

Of the 23.6 million people or 7.8% of the population in the United States who have diabetes, while an estimated 17.9 million have been diagnosed, 5.7 million people are not aware that they have this disease. In Rhode Island alone, 94,500 individuals have diabetes and 31,500 are unaware of the diagnosis. Since 1987 the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45%, while the death rates due to heart disease, stroke, and cancer have declined. Diabetes contributed to 224,092 deaths in 2002.

For more information on the Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs at Fatima Hospital, contact Anne-Marie Firestone, RN, CDE, CDOE, 456-3746.