Through participation in the Diabetes Education Program, the patient will become familiar with the relationship of nutrition, exercise, medication, and self-monitoring of blood sugars to achieve diabetes control. Improved control through self-management decreases the risk of complications such as heart disease and stroke, kidney dialysis, blindness, and amputations.

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The Health Education and Diabetes Team at Boice-Willis offers group classes to help patients better understand and manage diabetes. Anyone who is newly diagnosed with diabetes or has not had any prior outpatient diabetes education is eligible. Many patients who have completed the group classes have lost weight and have seen a decrease in their hemoglobin A1c or their average blood sugar control. 

Through a series of three classes, patients explore how to live a healthy and vibrant life with diabetes.

The Health Education team is made up of three registered dietitians and one registered nurse. Patients will first meet with one of the educators to complete registration and gather information on their current medical history and personal background. If patients do not already have a glucose meter to check their blood sugar levels, the educators will guide patients through the steps to obtain an appropriate glucose monitoring device.

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In the first class, the educators explain what diabetes is and how it is treated. This class also offers an introduction to healthy eating and helps patients think about small changes they can make in their daily food choices.

In the second and third class, the educators address many more of the common questions about diabetes such as why you need to check your blood sugar, what happens if your blood sugar is too low or too high, how medications help control blood sugar and what the long term complications of diabetes are and how to prevent them. They will also discuss advanced nutrition, meal planning, the benefits of exercise, and how to stay emotionally healthy with diabetes.