Staff and volunteers have been passionate about preventative care lately, and one of their missions is to reduce the effects of diabetes and pre-diabetes—which plagues nearly half of all GRACE clients—with preventative education.
We are pleased to report that in last quarter 71% of clients decreased their HgA1C (used to determine blood sugar control in diabetic patients) by at least ten percent from their admission date. What’s more, 68% of diabetic clients reduced their BMI (Body Mass Index) by at least ten percent from their first visit.
Nearly three-fourths of GRACE clients have made more conscious, measurable changes, like meeting or exceeding their goal of reducing blood pressure by ten percent. These standards are rare and are recognized with a top-tier “gold ranking” by the American Medical Association and American Heart Association.
These are more than numbers on a chart; these benchmarks show the far-reaching benefits collaboration and education has on families committed to reducing their grocery bill and need for costly medications.
How it’s done:
Each diabetic patient has a one-on-one session with a volunteer diabetic educator to set goals, learn best practices, and ensure their current medications are at the correct level.
In addition to being monitored on a continuous basis, hands-on classes are offered such as Cooking Matters, an applied cooking course that uses fresh produce from the Community Garden to demonstrate how using whole, unabridged foods costs less than processed foods that wreak havoc on those struggling with chronic illness.
Care Coordination sessions look further than an isolated diagnosis to address the holistic needs of a patient, who might also have a hypoactive thyroid, or a high-risk for chronic depression, for instance.
How to get involved with the Community Clinic:
The volunteers and staff are forging new paths for their patients, and continue to their focus and scope of referral treatments. The Community Clinic is looking for passionate Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists, Doctors, and Specialists who can invest their time and resources into providing the best care possible
Contact Volunteer Manager, Lara Hohweiler to get more information.
