 |
 |
 |
Foundation Press Room - ArticleVisit the Natividad Medical Center Press Room to continue reading about the Hospital's progress toward VISION 2010 and other news and events. Salinas' Natividad Medical Center Posts Record ProfitsThursday, August 5, 2010
Jim Johnson » Continue Reading County Safety Net Natividad Medical Center Prospers After $25M LossMonday, June 21, 2010
Diane Mano, Senior Editor, Healthcare Finance Newsweek » Continue Reading Natividad ER physician honored for Haiti service Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Richard Green, The Salinas Californian » Continue Reading Article Archive:
New Diabetes Center OpensMonday, December 10, 2007
Since Roxanne Segobia was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 14 years ago, she has devoted herself to managing the disease, watching her diet, monitoring her blood-sugar levels, and injecting insulin when necessary. But the 37-year-old accountant-clerk says she still finds its difficult to manage her bloodsugarlevel for one main reason: a lack of exercise. With a demanding but sedentary job, Segobia says it’s a struggle to maintain a regular exercise regimen — a key element in battling the disease — despite years of trying. “I get enthusiastic about it at first and then lose interest,” she said. “My job is so mentally draining that I have no energy left, no motivation to exercise.” On Friday, Segobia stopped by Natividad Medical Center’s brandnew Diabetes Education Center, which held a ribbon-cutting and open house in the Barnet J. Segal Outpatient Services Building. She said she was there to check out the new center’s group diabetes management classes and free support groups, which she hoped would help her find the inspiration to stay physically active. “I need to find something I can stick to,” Segobia said. “Something different, something interesting.” Segobia is one of nearly 26,600 people living with a diagnosed case of diabetes in Monterey County, said Diabetes Center coordinator Chesney Hoagland-Fuchs, who said that there are probably twice that many people living with undiagnosed diabetes. Nearly 20 million people in the United States have diabetes, which is the leading cause of blindness, kidney disease and amputations, and a major cause of heart disease and stroke. About 90 percent of all diabetes cases are Type 2, she said. Type 2 diabetes can result from a number of factors, often in combination, such as obesity, physical inactivity and genetic predisposition. As a Latina, Segobia likely had a genetic predisposition toward contracting diabetes, as do many people with indigenous lineages, said Hoagland-Fuchs. Low-income and minority populations in general are at a higher risk of contracting the disease. Hoagland-Fuchs said that’s a major reason why she moved to Salinas from the Texas Diabetes Institute in San Antonio: to take over Natividad’s Outpatient Diabetes Education Program two years ago. The registered nurse and certified diabetes educator said she jumped at the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people, many of whom work in the fields of the Salinas Valley to help feed the nation, who are more susceptible to the disease. “We have all these hardworking people with a high-risk factor (for diabetes), who pick our fruits and vegetables,” she said. “I’m a big fan of theirs. And this is an epidemic that’s just beginning to crest.” Hoagland-Fuchs said studies indicate that the number of cases of diabetes will double in the next 40 years among the general population, while Latinos are expected to experience a 150 percent increase in the number of people contracting the disease. As Americans of all heritages indulge in poor diet habits, work more and exercise less, the incidence of obesity and diabetes are on the rise. Hoagland-Fuchs said the new Diabetes Education Center is part of the effort to change that worrisome trend. Funded through a $26,000 grant from the Steps for a Healthier Salinas program, the education center will start with a single, 20-patient class designed to offer instruction in diabetes management for those who already have the disease. The center is linked to the Central Coast Alliance for Health, which will serve as the primary referral source. Hoagland-Fuchs said the center will offer free support groups. On Wednesday, in celebration of World Diabetes Day, the center will offer free group classes on diabetes management taught by Hoagland- Fuchs. During Friday’s open house, the center featured a variety of displays, including healthful eating guides and an interactive exhibit on damage diabetes does to internal organs. There were demonstrations of diabetes products, such as a glucose monitor that produces graphs measuring blood sugar levels, an insulin pump that monitors blood sugar and dispenses patient-specific insulin doses, a talking glucometer for the blind and visually impaired, and a Tanita body mass index machine. Robin Whiteley of the Blind and Visually Impaired Center of Monterey County said the center’s outreach efforts will help educate people about the risks associated with diabetes. “This clinic is going to help a lot of people because it takes on the front end (of the disease),” Whitely said. Heather Jacobs, who has been living with diabetes for nearly 30 years and attended Friday’s opening, said she hopes the center will help spur a trend. Currently, the center is staffed by Hoagland-Fuchs and four part-time employees, including registered nurses Bertha Ramirez, Jose Gasca and Maribel Montegrino, and registered dietician Kelly Croswell. The center will add a patient services representative soon. |
