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