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Norman Regional's Diabetes Center has been awarded continued recognition by the American Diabetes Association. The program offers education services to the patients it serves.

The ediba Diabetes Center of Excellence opened in October 2002 and was first recognized by the association the following August.

The American Diabetes Association Education Recognition effort is a voluntary process that assures approved education programs have met the national standards for diabetes self-management education programs. Centers that achieve recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide the most updated information about diabetes management.

Self-management education is an essential component of diabetes treatment. The national standards promote a greater consistency in the quality and quantity of education offered to those with diabetes. Recognized programs teach self-care skills to promote better management of individualized treatment regimens.

All approved programs cover diabetes disease process; nutritional management; physical activity; medications; monitoring; preventing, detecting and treating acute complications; preventing, detecting and treating chronic complications through risk reduction; goal setting and problem solving; psychological adjustment; and preconception care, management during pregnancy and gestational management.

Assuring high-quality education for patient self-care is one of the primary goals of the education recognition program. Through the support of the healthcare team and increased knowledge and awareness of diabetes, patients can assume a major part of the responsibility for their diabetes management. Unnecessary hospital admissions and some of the acute and chronic complications of diabetes may be prevented through self-management education.

"The process gives professionals a national standard by which to measure the quality of the services they provide," Diabetes Center Coordinator Teresa Brown said. "And, of course, it helps consumers to identify these quality programs."

For more information about Norman Regional's Diabetes Center of Excellence, call 307-6615.