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Diabetes Care

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Service Overview

Whether you are living with diabetes, you’ve been newly diagnosed, with type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes, or are helping a loved one, the WhidbeyHealth Diabetes Care and Management team is here to help.

We are accredited by the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists, which recognizes our comprehensive approach in meeting the needs of individuals living with diabetes.

  • Enhance the management of your diabetes by making healthy choices every day
  • Improve the effectiveness of diabetes medications with increased activity and proper diet
  • Enjoy the convenience of expert diabetes management, close to home

Individual appointments are available when new needs arise, such as:

  • Changing blood glucose control
  • Changing medications such as starting insulin
  • Frequent episodes of low blood sugar
  • Insulin pump support
  • You have concerns about your blood glucose
  • Change in life circumstances
  • Blinded or personal continuous glucose monitoring

Why is diabetes education important?

Although your doctor prescribes diabetes medications and monitors blood glucose control with lab work, your success with managing diabetes relies heavily on the choices you make daily.

Education and support can help you effectively manage your diabetes with its many challenges.

Certified Diabetes Educators (CDE), will work with you and your provider to create an individualized plan to successfully manage your diabetes and reduce risks for complications.

  • Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME)

    Classes are recommended usually when you are first diagnosed.

    Consisting of four two-hour classes, this program covers:

    • The causes of diabetes
    • Using glucose monitoring effectively
    • Healthy eating and exercise management
    • Understanding medications
    • Healthy coping
    • Preventing diabetes-related complications
    • Selecting tools for your specific circumstances

    Telephone support is provided at three, six and 12 months after completion of the program.

    Individual appointments are available when new needs arise, such as:

    • Changing blood glucose control
    • Adding or considering the addition of insulin
    • Frequent episodes of low blood sugar

    We teach insulin self-adjustment when recommended by your physician.

  • Pre-Diabetes Class

    Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are between 100 and 125 mg/dl. Studies have shown that individuals with pre-diabetes have an increased risk for heart disease and developing Type 2 diabetes.

    Healthy eating and exercise can prevent or significantly delay Type 2 diabetes and decrease risk for heart disease. The pre-diabetes class is designed to help individuals develop the lifestyle changes necessary to address these risks. We provide two, two-hour classes one month apart plus follow-up support by phone.

  • Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT)

    In addition to diabetes classes, our Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator can provide Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), which involves individualized instruction on managing your diabetes with diet.

    Carbohydrate counting is the main strategy used to educate clients on using food as a tool to manage diabetes. Medicare and most insurance will pay for MNT, minus your co-pay. A separate referral is needed. To learn more about MNT, call 360.678.7656 ext. 7688.

Continuous Glucose Sensors

Continuous glucose sensors help evaluate fluctuations in your blood glucose levels throughout the day and night by measuring interstitial glucose every few minutes and creating a graph of the measurements.

There are several types of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) with varying duration of the sensor up to 14 days and can be used with or without an insulin pump. Your provider can order a professional continuous CGM session or a personal monitor. A professional CGM is worn for 10 days and them reports are downloaded for your provider. A personal CGM sensor is changed every 7-14 days and used to adjust insulin. This adjustment goes beyond replacing finger-sticks. You should meet with a diabetes educator to learn more about the software, downloading reports and learning from your trends and arrows to effectively manage your diabetes.

Community Connection

As a Public Hospital District, WhidbeyHealth is owned by the taxpayers of Whidbey Island, and we are committed to providing local access to quality health care.

Comprehensive Care

WhidbeyHealth offers a broad range of flexible, patient-centric care in more than 25 service areas with convenient locations across the entire island from Oak Harbor to Clinton.

Close to Home

An exceptional team supports a broad range of inpatient and outpatient services so our community doesn’t have to travel off-island for many of their healthcare needs.

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