The Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at Shore Health System

Over 20 million Americans have diabetes, which is the fifth leading cause of death in this country. While approximately 14.6 million of these adults and children have been diagnosed with diabetes, 6.2 million of them are estimated to have type 2 diabetes and do not know it.

Diabetes is a medical condition in which a person's body fails to produce or properly use insulin. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes; type 1 diabetes is most commonly found in children whose bodies do not produce insulin. Insulin is an essential hormone, which converts sugar, starches and other food into energy.

People who have been diagnosed with diabetes have at their disposal years of research and an array of medical and lifestyle strategies to help them live with the disease. "Ignorance is more dangerous than a diabetes diagnosis," cautions Nancy Barger, RN, CDE, manager of the Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at Shore Health System. The Shore Health System center provides services to individuals age 18 and older for type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes can lead to many medical complications, including heart attack, stroke, blindness, nerve damage, kidney failure and poor circulation. Diabetes leads to the death of an estimated 224,000 people in the US each year.

Barger says, "The Joslin Diabetes Center is the foremost diabetes research, clinical care and education center in the world. Joslin's concentrated focus on a single disease allows it to discover, create and distribute new knowledge about diabetes prevention, treatment options and research toward a cure and to expand global efforts to combat the disease."

The Shore Health System Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate is part of the University of Maryland Medical System Joslin Affiliate Program and is the only diabetes specialty clinic on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at Memorial Hospital offers a multidisciplinary program, which includes the services of endocrinologists, nurses who are certified diabetes educators, a registered dietician and access to psychosocial support to help address beneficial lifestyle changes.

"This highly regarded clinical program benefits people newly diagnosed with diabetes and those who have had the disease for many years," Barger explains. "We will maintain collaborative relationships with primary care physicians for whose patients we provide diabetes consultation, education and ongoing management of their health."

Barger adds, "Education is the primary focus at our Joslin Diabetes Center. Even before someone receives a diabetes diagnosis, we are here to discuss pre-diabetic conditions and to offer advice on how to prevent the early symptoms from developing into a more serious medical condition."

The Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at Memorial Hospital offers nutrition counseling and other educational support, including advice on exercise, stress reduction and lifestyle modifications.

Early intervention is critical since individuals with pre-diabetes have a 50 percent increased risk for heart disease or stroke. "We evaluate these risks at our center with counseling about tobacco use, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other medical conditions and lifestyle activities that increase cardiovascular risks," Barger explains.

For more information about the Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at Shore Health System, contact Nancy Barger at 410-228-1000 or 410-228-5511, ext. 5258.

---