NEWLY DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES
Where do I begin?
If you've been diagnosed with diabetes, there is much you can do to improve your health and prevent complications that are often associated with diabetes. Understanding the disease and educating yourself on ways to stay healthy is an excellent start.
Your first visit at Long Beach Medical Center's Diabetes Education Center will begin with an assessment where one of our Certified Diabetes Educators (CDE) will determine your learning needs. We encourage you to invite your spouse, a family member or trusted friend to these appointments if it will make you feel more comfortable.
Based upon your assessment, our staff will arrange for follow-up education classes to help you become comfortable with the day to day management of your diabetes. Instruction on blood glucose equipment and monitoring, the effects of stress, illness and exercise on blood glucose levels, medications and sharps maintenance will be covered until you are successfully and independently managing these issues.
Nutrition’s Role in Your Good Health
A consultation will also be scheduled for medical nutritional counseling. A Registered Dietician who is also a Certified Diabetes Educator will work with you so that you understand the importance of diet and nutrition when managing diabetes.
The overall goal is to educate and empower individuals with diabetes by giving them the tools and support they need to manage their disease.
Ongoing Support and Education Groups
In addition to individual counseling sessions and group classes, we encourage patients and their families to attend our monthly diabetes support and education group. The meetings are led by a Certified Diabetes Educator and offer discussions regarding self-management strategies, nutrition, medications, eye and foot care, exercise and more.
Guest speakers who are experts in the field of diabetes present a diverse range of educational lectures that help patients live healthier lives.
We Offer Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine
A common occurrence in diabetic patients is tissue breakdown, or sores that are difficult to heal. For those struggling with diabetic wounds, referrals are made to the Wound Care Center at Long Beach Medical Center, which provides treatment and interventions that help heal vascular wounds and ulcers. Specially trained physicians and surgeons use the latest products and methods to help wounds heal quickly and completely.
For wounds that resist healing with conventional wound care, Long Beach Medical Center is one of the few hospitals on Long Island that offers Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Hyperbaric therapy consists of breathing 100% oxygen at increased pressure. This improves the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria, reduce swelling and allow new blood vessels to grow more rapidly in the affected area. Healing results have been remarkable for wounds that have not responded to traditional therapies.
Your Doctor is Part of Our Team
The staff at the Diabetes Education Center works closely with each patient's personal physician, offering education and support that compliments your doctor’s treatment. And, if patients do not have a personal physician, Long Beach Medical Center offers the Family Care Center, a primary care clinic with many subspecialty services.
Contact Information and Hours:
The Diabetes Education Center at Long Beach Medical Center
2nd Floor - Main Building
455 E. Bay Drive
Long Beach, NY 11561
Phone: 516-897-4354
E-mail: rferdinand@lbmc.org
Office Hours
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Group classes:
Meet monthly, rotating between days and evenings
Day classes: 9 am to 12 noon
Evening classes: 6 pm to 9 pm
Support Group:
Meets monthly on the third Monday of each month from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
The following resources can provide additional information on diabetes.
American Diabetes Association
www.diabetes.org
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Diabetes Public Health Resource
www.cdc.gov/diabetes
National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Disease
www.niddk.nih.gov
To learn more about the Diabetes Education Center of Long Beach Medical Center, or to schedule an appointment, please call (516) 897-4344.
The Diabetes Education Center at Long Beach Medical Center
2nd Floor - Main Building
455 E. Bay Drive
Long Beach, NY 11561
Phone: 516-897-4354
E-mail: rferdinand@lbmc.org