EMH Foundation to use $100,000 Lions Club grant for community diabetes care

The Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation has received a $100,000 grant from the Lions Club International Foundation and Elmhurst Lions Club that will fund a new Diabetes Prevention and Lifestyle Intervention Program in the hospital’s Diabetes Learning Center. The grant is the largest ever received by the Foundation.

“We are looking forward to continuing our partnership and working with the Elmhurst Lions Club to launch this program,” says Susan Tyburski, Executive Director, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation. “Members of the Elmhurst Lions Club and other Lions Clubs in our area will have an active role in the effort to increase awareness of diabetes and that the Diabetes Learning Center is here to help.”

The goal of the program, expected to begin in the fall of 2015, is to create and sustain a lifestyle change to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes among high-risk people.

Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, can lead to serious long-term health issues, such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, nerve damage and kidney failure. Studies show improved eating habits, increased physical activity and a moderate weight loss can prevent or delay onset of the disease.

The Diabetes Learning Center, located on Elmhurst Hospital’s main campus at 155 E. Brush Hill Rd., provides an extensive array of programs for those at different stages of diabetes, including:

· Initial Self-Management Training

· Follow-up Self-Management Training

· Gestational Diabetes

· Diabetes with Pregnancy

· Medical Nutrition Therapy

· Initiation of Injectable Therapy

· Intensive Insulin Therapy

· Insulin Pump Therapy

· Personal Continuous Glucose Monitor Training

To find out if you’re at risk for diabetes, take the free, online DiabetesAware test at www.emhc.org/services/healthaware. For more information about the Diabetes Learning Center, call (331) 221-6440.

Founded in 1980, the EMH Foundation offers many giving opportunities and annual special events designed to support the hospital’s programs and facilities, including the Autumn Affair Gala, Chef Fest, Reindeer Route Housewalk and Love Lights program. For more information, visit www.EMHFoundation.org or call (331) 221-0388.

For more information about the Elmhurst Lions Club, visit www.elmhurstlions.org.