Diabetes: The specialized treatment team approach
Diabetes can be a very complex disease. Life-threatening complications range from
heart disease, stroke and blindness to kidney disease, nerve disease and amputations.
Continuing to set new standards in health care, Sharon Regional developed its
Diabetes Center, which is located at 2395 Garden Way, Hermitage.
The Center offers individualized treatment programs and education for those
with:
· Adult onset diabetes
· Juvenile diabetes
· Pregnancy-related diabetes
Sharon Regional's specialized treatment team provides diabetics
and their families with the following services:
· Diabetic education
· Insulin pump therapy
· Diabetic nutritional counseling
· Diabetic counseling through Sharon Regional's Behavioral
Health Services
For more information on diabetes, click here for our Women's Library
Meet the Diabetes Center Staff
The Diabetes Center staff has more than 50 years of experience is educating and supporting individuals with diabetes and their families. The staff is certified as Diabetes Educators. Certification demonstrates to patients and employers that the health care professional has distinct and specialized knowledge, thereby promoting quality of care of patients with diabetes.
Coordinator – Lisa Bertolasio, RN, MS, CDE
Nurse Educator – Jennifer Engelhardt, RN, CDE. Additional certifications include:
- Insulin Pump Trainer for Medtronic, Animas and Smiths Medical
- Medtronics Real Time Continuous Glucose Monitoring System- this system allows individuals with diabetes to monitor their blood glucose on a real-time basis and help prevent excessive highs and lows in blood glucose.
Dietitian – Mike Libbey, RD, CDE
Areas of expertise include:
- Weight loss
- Celiac Sprue
- Cardiac Nutrition
In addition to a variety of programs on diabetes, the Center also provides the following:
- Stop Diabetes Before it Starts – a free community program to educate individuals who at risk for developing diabetes how to prevent it
- Personal Nutrition Coaching – in conjunction with Highmark BC/BS and the YMCA, individuals with a Highmark insurance plan may qualify for this benefit
- Nutritional Counseling for celiac sprue, cardiac disease, hypertension, hyperlipedemia and other medical condition
April Programs:
Diabetes Self-management Classes are offered at several convenient times:
Weekend series starts Saturday, April 25, 9 a.m.
at The Diabetes Center
Evening series starts Monday, April 21, 6 p.m. at The Diabetes Center
Classes provide the person with diabetes an opportunity to learn about diabetes, how to monitor blood glucoses, meal planning, physical activity, goal setting to promote health, and how to prevent complications. A physician referral is required to attend.
The Diabetes Support Group meets April 23, 6 p.m., in the Diabetes Center
Diabetes Education and Nutrition Counseling are now available at the Mercer Family Medicine Center.
Special Program: Stop Diabetes Before It Starts!, April 2, 1 p.m. at The Diabetes Center
For more information about Sharon Regional's Diabetes Center or specialized
treatment team, please call 724-981-6551 or e-mail diabetescenter@srhs-pa.org