The Diabetes Self-Management and Wellness Program at Polk Wellness Center was recently named an accredited diabetes education program by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE).  This program was developed and made possible through collaboration with St. Luke’s Hospital and the North Carolina Community Foundation.  Residents in and around Polk County will be now able to access critical diabetes education and support services locally.   A medical provider referral is required.
Diabetes education is a collaborative process through which people with diabetes gain the knowledge and skills needed to modify behavior and successfully self-manage the disease and its related conditions.
The program at Polk Wellness Center is highly individualized and interactive with a group-based Core Curriculum in addition to 1:1 assessment and counseling.
“The program has been structured to capture the advantages of group processes in conjunction with individualized assessment and opportunity for small-group and 1:1 encounters as needed. I work closely with patients and providers to address each individual’s needs,” says Melissa Melum, RN, CDE, program instructor.  Ms. Melum is a registered nurse and certified diabetes educator who moved to Western North Carolina from Maryland about two years ago.  In Maryland, she worked as a diabetes educator at Kaiser Permanente and at the Joslin Diabetes Center affiliate at Maryland General Hospital (University of Maryland).
Polk Wellness Center is an integrated care provider and the diabetes education program includes therapeutic group and individual support focused on wellness and lifestyle change.  Cooking classes are also offered in collaboration with the Cooperative Extension Service.
This new resource for Polk and surrounding area residents supports the health improvement goals in the 2012 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) which identified rising rates of diabetes as a health priority.
For more information, call 828-894-0944.

– article submitted
by Laura Ellington