WINNEMUCCA - Humboldt General Hospital is offering a new community resource: a Diabetes Support Group.
The new support group will be led by Humboldt General Hospital Wellness Coordinator Louis Mendiola and Humboldt General Hospital Director of Nutrition and Dietary Services Tiffani Nalivka.
Mendiola said the main objective of the new group is to offer information and tips to the community on how to treat, live with and, in some cases, prevent diabetes altogether.
In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that nearly 27 percent of Americans over the age of 65 and nearly 9 percent of America's total population currently has diabetes.
"Diabetes not only impacts those with the diagnosis," said Mendiola, "but it severely impacts our community as a whole. We at Humboldt General Hospital want to offer our friends in the community a way to combat this deadly disease."
The group will meet from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month in Humboldt General Hospital's Sonoma conference room. The group's first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 5.
The Diabetes Support Group not only will provide a casual setting in which participants can ask questions, but each month the program will feature a different expert speaker who can address more specialized topics.
"With the help of physicians, podiatrists, dentists, fitness gurus, and a slate of other experts, we will be able to deliver some very powerful education, and that education will help curb the serious and widespread impact of this disease process," said Mendiola.
The group will largely focus on diet and its effect on diabetes. Registered Dietitian Tiffani Nalivka is eager to be a part of the support group.
"One of the main ways an individual can help improve their diabetes is through diet modification," said Nalivka. "I will be available to help our group know how to best manage their diets and, as a result, better manage their health."
Mendiola said the Diabetes Support Group is part of a larger initiative at Humboldt General Hospital that goes well beyond caring for the sick and injured.
"We want to start investing in the health of our friends and families in the community in a more proactive manner," he said. "This is about prevention and wellness; this is knowing that education combined with action can make a huge difference."
The Diabetes Support Group will meet for the first time from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, in the Humboldt General Hospital Sonoma conference room. Diabetics, pre-diabetics, caregivers and those who are interested in preventing diabetes are invited to attend.
For more information, please contact Humboldt General Hospital Wellness Coordinator Louis Mendiola at (775) 623-5222, ext. 258, or via email at lmendiola@hghospital.ws.
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