The prestigious American Diabetes Association Education Recognition Certificate for a quality diabetes self-management education program was recently awarded to D.W. McMillan Hospital.

BREWTON, AL - The prestigious American Diabetes Association Education Recognition Certificate for a quality diabetes self-management education program was recently awarded to D.W. McMillan Hospital. ADA believes this program offers high-quality education that is an essential component of effective diabetes treatment.

The Association's Education Recognition Certificate assures that educational programs meet the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs. These Standards were developed and tested under the auspices of the National Diabetes Advisory Board in 1983 and were revised by the diabetes community in 1994, 2000, 2007 and 2012.

Programs apply for Recognition voluntarily. Programs that achieve Recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide participants with comprehensive information about diabetes management. "The process gives professionals a national standard by which to measure the quality of services they provide," stated Autherine Davis, D.W. McMillan diabetic educator. "And, of course, it assures the consumer that he or she will likely receive high-quality service." Education Recognition status is verified by an official certificate from ADA and awarded for four years.

According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 29.1 million people or 9.3% of the population in the United States who have diabetes. While an estimated 21 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 8.1 million people are not aware that they have this disease. Each day approximately 4,657 people are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will first learn that they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications - heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and nerve disease and amputation. About 1.7 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2012 in the US. Diabetes contributed to 234,051 deaths in 2010, making it the seventh leading cause of death in the US. Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people of similar age but without diabetes.

"Ashley Bunnell, our staff dietitian and Autherine are doing a great job leading our program and obtaining this recognition." stated Chris Griffin, hospital administrator. "Now we can utilize this service to help our community understand the importance of diabetic education and resources."

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading non-profit health organization supporting diabetes research, advocacy and information for health professionals, patients and the public. Founded in 1940, the Association has an area office in every state and conducts programs in communities nationwide.

For more information on recognized education programs in your area or other American Diabetes Association programs, call your local ADA office or contact the ADA online at www.diabetes.org/erp. Patients who are interested in learning more about D.W. McMillan's diabetic program must be referred by their primary care physician.