Diabetes Self-Management Education becomes an AADE-accredited diabetes education program

MHM's Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) was recently named an accredited diabetes education program by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). AADE is a multidisciplinary association of healthcare professionals dedicated to integrating self-management as a key outcome in the care of people with diabetes and related chronic conditions. This accreditation will help to allow for increased access to critical diabetes education services for residents in and around San Antonio. Currently, there are only two other programs in the San Antonio area that hold accreditation from the AADE.

Diabetes education is a collaborative process through which people with, or at risk for diabetes, gain the knowledge and skills needed to modify behavior and successfully self-manage the disease and its related conditions. This instruction is provided by a team of diabetes educators with creditials ranging from Licensed Dieticians to Registered Nurses.

Health Education program manager, Juan Martinez, MSN, RN, is confident this accreditation will promote self-empowerment and awareness among the participants of the program. "To be eligible for AADE's accreditation program, our program must adhere to the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Training as set forth by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). This requirement, in turn, guarantees program participants are receiving standardized curriculum that can be continued should the need for relocation take place," explains Juan. "This accreditition is especially meaningful given our diabetes educators team is celebrating National Nutrition Month this month."

DSME, made available through MHM's Nutrition & Health Education department, is offered at the Wesley Health & Wellness Center (WHWC) on San Antonio's South Side year-round. The program is also available to San Antonio's East Side community through the Bishop Ernest T. Dixon Jr. Clinic.

For more information about MHM's DSME, contact the WHWC at (210) 922-6922 or the Bishop Ernest T. Dixon Jr. Clinic at (210) 527-1505.

To learn more about the American Association of Diabetes Educators, visit http://www.diabeteseducator.org.