Texas A&M Health Science Center awarded grant to extend diabetes education in South Texas

The Texas A&M Health Science Center Coastal Bend Health Education Center (CBHEC) has been awarded a $150,000 grant to expand diabetes education in South Texas. The grant, which was awarded by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, will allow the center to educate at least 360 uninsured individuals in Kleberg County about diabetes prevention and management to reduce complications associated with the disease.

Classes will begin in January 2015 in Kingsville and are open to anyone interested in learning more about diabetes prevention and management, not just those who do not have insurance. In addition, King Ranch employees and their families are encouraged to attend as part of the partnership recently established between King Ranch and CBHEC for employee wellness.

The eight-hour program teaches about diabetes, healthy eating, the importance of physical activity, blood glucose monitoring, insulin administration, medication compliance, psychosocial issues and goal setting. Lab work is taken at the onset of the first class, and follow-ups are offered every three months for one year following the last class to assess progress and provide support.

The CBHEC Diabetes Education program, Accredited by the American Diabetes Association, has provided patient-centered diabetes education for more than 14 years.  Its bilingual diabetes education team consists of a medical director, registered nurses, certified diabetes educators, nutritionists and community health workers. The team approach to diabetes care provides continuous, supportive and effective care for people with diabetes.  The National Diabetes Education Program states the benefits of this approach are efficient patient education, increased patient follow-up, improved glycemic control, reduced hospitalizations, improved quality of life and lower risk for the complications of diabetes.

The Kleberg County classes are part of the Texas A&M Healthy South Texas 2025 Initiative, an unprecedented effort to reduce preventable diseases and their consequences in South Texas by 25 percent by the year 2025. The initial focus of the initiative rests on diabetes, asthma and infectious diseases with the goal of improving the wellness of South Texas for generations to come.