The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has awarded the AMITA Health Pediatric Diabetes Program at AMITA Health Women’s and Children’s Hospital Hoffman Estates with Education Recognition for meeting its national standards for diabetes self-management education and support.
The program was one of the only services of its kind in the Chicagoland area to be recognized when it first received the ADA recognition in 2016. The new recognition period is through July 17, 2023.
According to the ADA, services that achieve recognition offer high-quality education and have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals providing patients with comprehensive information about diabetes management. This recognition assures educational services meet the ADA’s National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support.
“The process provides professionals national standards by which to measure the quality of services they provide,” said Gina LeMaire, RN, CDE, the ADA program coordinator for the AMITA Health Pediatric Diabetes Center. “And it assures patients they likely will receive the highest quality service and information available in the area.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2017 National Diabetes Statistic Report, 30.3 million Americans, or 9.4 percent of the population, have diabetes. Each day, more than 3,900 people are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will first learn that they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness or nerve disease.
