Posted: 11/6/2019
Free Diabetes Awareness Month event on Nov. 11 stresses prevention, education
The day Maria De Los Angeles Orellana found out she had diabetes was just a normal day. She had gone to Parkland Health & Hospital System’s Bluitt-Flowers Health Center for a regular checkup. She walked away with a diabetes diagnosis.
“When I found out I had diabetes, I cried,” she said.
Having seen family and friends pass away from diabetes, she was worried about what the diagnosis meant for her. Initially, she didn’t say anything about it to her husband or her kids. After praying, she felt peace in her heart with the knowledge she needed to make changes.
Now her husband and children are her biggest cheerleaders. They support her and watch out for her, checking if she is taking her medicine and altering their own eating habits to include more vegetables and whole grains.
“It was hard at first but it has gotten easier,” Orellana said about the changes she’s made to her diet and lifestyle. “I take my medicine and started walking a little bit.”
One of the biggest changes she made was eating more throughout the day. She used to eat only dinner, which caused her blood sugar to get too high. Now she has a vegetable smoothie for breakfast with her medicine, eats lunch and has less bread and tortillas and more vegetables.
Diabetes education classes led by a registered dietitian at Bluitt-Flowers Health Center taught Orellana the consequences of not taking care of her diabetes, as well as how to eat healthier to control her blood sugar. She found out that problems with her vision, teeth and sleep that had plagued her were a direct result of her diabetes. Now that she has her blood sugar under better control, she feels much better and has lost weight.
“Parkland has helped me a lot,” she said. “If I didn’t have Parkland, I wouldn’t be able to do it.”
Orellana has some advice for others struggling with a diabetes diagnosis. “It’s important to have someone to help and support you. My whole family has gotten healthier. Try having a vegetable shake in the morning. You can do it!”
To observe National Diabetes Awareness Month, on Monday, Nov. 11 Parkland is offering a free “Diabetes Awareness Day” event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bluitt Flowers Health Center, 303 E. Overton Rd., Dallas 75216. Activities will include cooking demonstrations by Parkland’s Executive Chef Andrea Piper who will offer delicious samples for tasting and talk about healthy diabetes-friendly recipes. Glucose screenings, diabetes information and handouts, fun games, prizes and snacks will be offered. Parkland’s Sustainability Department will provide a garden demonstration area with advice about planting healthy vegetables. Eye and foot care providers will be available to give self- care information and answer questions. The event is free and open to the public.
Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. and is associated with serious health complications like heart and kidney disease, blindness and amputations. According to Kellie Rodriguez, CDE, Director, Global Diabetes Program at Parkland, more than 660,000 people in Texas don’t know they have diabetes; 37% of Texans have prediabetes; 11% of Dallas County residents have diabetes; and more than 30,000 patients with the condition currently receive care at Parkland.
“Education and screening are vital,” Rodriguez stated. “Millions of Americans have prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are not high enough to be classified as diabetes, but are elevated above normal levels and many of them don’t know it. Persons with prediabetes have a 50% chance of developing type 2 diabetes if they don’t make significant lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthier diet and getting more physical activity.”
Parkland Health & Hospital System and Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) have partnered to develop a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) to identify the geographic areas and populations that experience the most significant health disparities in Dallas County. Emerging from the report were findings related to access to care, demand for health services for special populations, and leading causes of chronic conditions such as hypertension, cancer and diabetes, among others. Parkland and DCHHS will now focus their efforts on developing an implementation plan to address key priorities identified in the report. To view the Community Health Needs Assessment, please visit:
www.parklandhospital.com/CHNA
The Global Diabetes Program is part of Parkland’s continuing efforts to combat diabetes. The program is patient-centered and multidisciplinary, involving physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, behavioral health experts, social workers and financial experts across Parkland.
The Healthy Living with Diabetes Education Program at Parkland is recognized by the American Diabetes Association. To learn more about Parkland’s Global Diabetes Program, visit www.parklandhospital.com or call 214-590-7219. For more information about living with diabetes, visit www.parklanddiabetes.com