Diabetes Prevention Center partners with St. Joseph Mercy Livingston to provide community-based workshop to prevent diabetes

While many are familiar with type 2 diabetes, fewer are aware of prediabetes, a serious health condition that affects 2.6 million Michiganders (more than 1 in 3) and often leads to type 2 diabetes. To help curb this epidemic, the Diabetes Prevention Center, a division of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, has partnered with St. Joseph Mercy Livingston to provide the Diabetes Prevention Program at St. Joseph Mercy Brighton health center. The Diabetes Prevention Program is a 16-week program designed for those at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, with the goal that participants will adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

People with prediabetes — higher-than-normal blood glucose (sugar) levels, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes — are 5 to 15 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with normal blood glucose levels. In fact, many people with prediabetes can be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within 5 years.

People are more likely to have prediabetes and type 2 diabetes if they:

• Are 45 years of age or older;
• Are overweight;
• Have a family history of type 2 diabetes;
• Are physically active fewer than three times per week; or
• Have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy or gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds.

“Prevention is key,” said National Kidney Foundation of Michigan Senior Vice President and Chief Science Officer Dr. Art Franke. “Research shows that once people are aware that they have prediabetes, they are much more likely to make the necessary lifestyle changes to prevent health risks, including type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, heart attack and stroke. We are bringing the Diabetes Prevention Program to several communities throughout the region because of the high levels of prediabetes in the area, and this proactive program has proven to make a difference.”

Diabetes Prevention Program workshops are led by trained lifestyle coaches during weekly one-hour group sessions and eight monthly sessions that follow. Participants learn how to eat healthy, add physical activity to their routine, manage stress, stay motivated, and solve problems that can get in the way of healthy changes. The program’s group setting provides a supportive environment with people who are facing similar challenges and trying to make the same changes. Together participants celebrate their successes and find ways to overcome obstacles.

An information session for the Diabetes Prevention Program in Brighton will be held on Thursday, January 26, from 6-7 p.m. at St. Joseph Mercy Brighton, 7575 Grand River Rd., Brighton, MI 48114. The first session will begin on Thursday, February 2 at the same time and location.

For those who are interested in participating in a workshop, a doctor can tell you if you are at risk for diabetes, or you can find out your risk via the risk test at www.nkfm.org/dpp. This risk test will also be provided at the information session. To register, visit at www.nkfm.org/dpp or call 800-482-1455.

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About the Diabetes Prevention Center:

The Diabetes Prevention Center, a division of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM), offers the Diabetes Prevention Program throughout Michigan communities to pursue the over goals of preventing type 2 diabetes and reducing the risk of chronic kidney disease. The NKFM was the first organization in Michigan to receive full-recognition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program (DPRP) for its Diabetes Prevention Program. The organization has also been recognized for its success in sound fiscal management by receiving a 4-star rating, nine years in a row from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities.

About Saint Joseph Mercy Health System:

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,553 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 16,200 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $1.9 billion and returns about $120 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.

SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, a leading Catholic health care system based in Livonia, Mich. Trinity Health operates in 22 states, employs about 97,000 people, has annual operating revenues of about $15.8 billion and assets of about $23.4 billion. Additionally, the organization returns almost $1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.

For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit www.stjoeshealth.org.