RUMFORD – Rumford Hospital is offering Ambulatory Diabetes Education and Follow-up and has set class dates through December of this year. This critical program teaches people with diabetes how to cope with the disease to stay as healthy as possible.

“These classes are essential for people with diabetes,” says registered nurse Anne Marie Mahar, diabetes educator at Rumford Hospital. “Without this knowledge and understanding, it is difficult – to say the least – for people to control their diabetes.” People with diabetes have an increased risk of heart and liver disease and often suffer from circulatory problems. If diabetes is not properly controlled, it can be life-threatening.

Rumford Hospital partners with the diabetes education team at Central Maine Medical Center to make the program available locally via interactive teleconferencing. Parts of the standardized program that require confidential information exchange are completed with Rumford Hospital staff. The classroom work is by teleconference with diabetes educators at CMMC, supported by a nurse on site at Rumford Hospital.

The program involves a one-on-one visit with the nurse educator, Mahar at Rumford Hospital, followed by a one-on-one visit with the registered dietitian, Jane Wardwell.

After these individual sessions, people with diabetes participate in six hours of classroom sessions. The first three-hour session covers types of diabetes, high and low blood sugars, monitoring and medications. Meal planning, carbohydrates, label reading, complications and lab tests are part of the second half, as well as how exercise, stress and travel can affect blood sugars. The classes are offered in two three-hour sessions in either afternoon or evening and a full day session.

The follow-up of the program comes within the first month, at three months, six months and one year to continue teaching and reinforce the concepts.

At Rumford Hospital, program sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 11, 6 to 9 p.m. March 17 and 24, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 14, 1 to 4 p.m. May 12 and 14, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 11.

There is a fee for the program, and many insurance companies cover some or all of the program cost. Entry into the program is by physician referral only. For more information, call Mahar at 369-1127.