Diabetes Program

Great River Medical Center’s Partners in Outpatient Diabetes Self-management (self-care) education program helps you with the knowledge, skills and attitude that allow a flexible lifestyle while balancing diabetes control. If you have diabetes, the day-to-day diabetes care is up to you. Self-care can be hard. You will need to learn a plan to treat diabetes, new habits or a change in habits (behavior change). Help is provided by a diabetes team including your physician, Great River Medical Center nurses, dietitian, social worker, pharmacist, exercise therapist and your family and friends. Great River Medical Center has certified diabetes educators to assess your needs, teach self-care and provide ongoing care. The program has national and state certification, which your insurance may require. A relative or friend may come to education classes with you.

Exercise and Diabetes

The Center for Rehabilitation’s staff offers exercise programs and advice for people with diabetes. The program goal for individuals or groups is to control blood sugar, increase fitness and create healthy lifestyle habits. For more information about exercise and diabetes, please call the Center for Rehabilitation at (319) 768-4100.

Diabetes Outpatient Group Classes

Diabetes Outpatient Group Classes are for you if you have just found out you have diabetes, are making a change in treatment or are having diabetes-related concerns/complications.
After an order by your physician is received, an assessment is made of your need for specific information and skills provided in group classes.

Class Topics

•	"Aisle tour" at a grocery store
•	Changing behavior, setting goals for improved health and controlling diabetes
•	Daily activity and exercise, benefits and precautions, and how to get started
•	Learning to accept and adjust to living with a chronic disease, and controlling the effects of stress
•	Meal planning, food preparation and shopping for good nutrition
•	Medications, diabetes pills, insulin and other medications
•	Monitoring skills
•	Options to control blood pressure, fats and weight loss
•	Overview of tests that let you know your treatment is working to keep you feeling well
•	Personal health habits, and how to prevent and detect long-term complications
•	Reasons why someone develops diabetes, types of diabetes, what goes wrong and how this can be corrected, and why controlling diabetes is important
•	Symptoms, treatment, causes and prevention of high and low blood sugar, and sick-day management
•	Tour of the exercise facility at the hospital’s Center for Rehabilitation

Talk to your physician or health-care provider about the benefits of diabetes education. If you wish to receive a calendar of class dates and times, call Great River Medical Center’s Education Department at (319) 768-4100.