Diabetes Self-Management Education

The Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center provides expert care, education, and support services to help manage your diabetes. Whether you have just been diagnosed with diabetes or have been living with it for a while, you may feel overwhelmed or unprepared to understand what it means for how you live day-to-day. In our diabetes self-management education and support classes (DSMES) participants learn to live successfully with diabetes by managing diet, physical activity and medications.

Diabetes education is a recognized part of your diabetes care and is covered by Medicare and most health insurance plans, when it is offered through an accredited diabetes education program, which has met vigorous criteria set by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). As a member of your health care team, a Hoag Diabetes Education Specialist makes managing your diabetes easier. They work with you to complete your education and develop a plan to stay healthy, and give you the tools and ongoing support to make that plan a regular part of your life. The Allen Diabetes Center’s DSMES Program is certified by the ADA.

We cover various topics including:

  • Exercise guidelines
  • Medication management
  • How to monitor blood glucose
  • Insulin instruction and pump training
  • Meal planning / weight management
  • Specialized programs for pregnant women
  • Dining out
  • Sick-day guidelines
  • Carbohydrate counting

We also provide specialized education of diabetes nutrition-related topics through our individualized medical nutrition therapy (MNT) program. Registered dietitians work directly with patients to help them learn carbohydrate counting, nutrition management while traveling or dining out, and how to create healthy meal plans.

Certified diabetes care and education specialists also assist provide instruction and support for patients using insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring sensors (CGM) to help manage their diabetes.

Schedule your appointment today to receive state-of-the-art therapy for your diabetes. Our dedicated nurses and dietitians are available to help you take control of your diabetes!

For health education classes, medical nutrition therapy, insulin instruction, or medical consultation by an endocrinologist, please have your healthcare provider complete this form.