Announcing Legacy’s new diabetes program: Take Control of Diabetes

By India Ogazi

This week, Legacy Community Health launched its new diabetes program for diabetic and pre-diabetic patients. The comprehensive program is aimed at improving control of patient’s diabetes, reducing risk for complications from the disease and preventing the progression of prediabetes to diabetes.

Participants in Legacy’s “Take Control of Diabetes” program will benefit from the following (as necessary):

• Free diabetes educational classes or one-on-one counseling with a patient educator
• A free diabetes guidebook, which includes diabetes education, recipes, guidelines and more
• Medication counseling from a Legacy pharmacist
• A free glucose monitor, upon completion of a Legacy Pharmacy diabetes-counseling session
• Free nutrition counseling from a registered dietician
• Access to an endocrinologist — a physician who specializes in diabetes care
• Appointment reminders and navigation through the program via a patient educator or patient care team assistant

Participants can also access free diabetes-management tips, recipes, blood sugar logs and more at Legacy’s diabetes management webpage.

“As a physician, it’s been my dream to start a program like this, which really addresses the multiple needs of the diabetic patient,” says Legacy’s Director of Family Practice Dr. Patricia Hayes. “Managing diabetes can be overwhelming for a patient. It requires a comprehensive, medical team, working together to help patients beat this debilitating disease.”

Untreated and/or uncontrolled diabetes can cause blindness, amputation, kidney failure, heart attack and more. The disease affects almost 10 percent of all Americans, according to the American Diabetes Association.

If you are a diabetic or pre-diabetic patient interested in enrolling in the program, call (832) 548-8000 for an appointment with a primary care doctor.