WVU Medicine Diabetes Education Center receives CDC recognition

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The WVU Medicine Diabetes Education Center at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital has earned Full Recognition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for its Diabetes Prevention Program. 

The designation is reserved for programs that have effectively delivered a quality, evidence-based program that meets all of the standards for CDC recognition. 

“The 2016 U.S. Census ranked West Virginia number two in the country in the prevalence of diabetes,” Erin Barrett, B.S.N., R.N., Diabetes Education Center coordinator, said. “We’re excited to receive this recognition because it means the work we are doing is making a difference in the future of our state.”

The National Diabetes Prevention Program is the gold-standard for lifestyle change to prevent type 2 diabetes. The program is focused on weight loss and increased physical activity. By working with a lifestyle coach throughout a 22-session, 12-month program, people with pre-diabetes or those at risk for developing it can learn to make practical, real-life changes and cut their risk for developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 58 percent. 

Research has found that even after 10 years, people who completed a diabetes prevention lifestyle change program were one-third less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

The WVU Medicine Diabetes Education Center has been offering the National Diabetes Prevention Program to employees and the public since 2016. Previous cohorts have lost a combined total of 371 pounds. Past participants have reported that having a group of people with the same goals really motivate them to jump start healthy lifestyle changes. 

The Diabetes Education Center will begin its eighth cohort of the National Diabetes Prevention Program at noon on Jan. 9 in conference room 7A65 at Ruby Memorial Hospital. It is open to the public. Interested individuals can RSVP by contacting the Diabetes Education Center at 304-598-4391 ext. 1 or kylec@wvumedicine.org. The registration deadline is Jan. 1. 

In August, Ruby Memorial Hospital was ranked 28th in Diabetes and Endocrinology by U.S. News & World Report. The American Diabetes Association awarded the Diabetes Education Center a four-year certificate of recognition for offering high quality diabetes self-management education. The Center has been accredited by the American Diabetes Association since 2004. For more information on the WVU Medicine Diabetes Education Center, visit https://bit.ly/2PWFW0j.