YNHHS News Releases

Released Jan. 7, 2008

Hospital, health system outpatient diabetes programs merit ADA recognition

NEW HAVEN — Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) were recently awarded the prestigious American Diabetes Association (ADA) Education Recognition Certificate for quality diabetes self-management education programs.

To earn this distinction, Yale-New Haven Hospital, part of the Yale New Haven Health System comprised of Bridgeport, Greenwich and Yale-New Haven hospitals, voluntarily submitted to a rigorous review process conducted by experts in the field of diabetes. YNHHS was evaluated for its ability to provide patients with a comprehensive, individualized outpatient education program as part of their diabetes treatment.

"The American Diabetes Association certification assures patients that they are receiving the most up-to-date information about diabetes management from expert staff," said Jean Zimkus, RN, certified diabetes educator and coordinator of the YNHHS diabetes education advisory. "We are dedicated to providing people who have diabetes the knowledge and skills they need to be in control of their disease and lead healthy, fulfilling lives."

Diabetes self-management education (DSME) is the foundation of care for people with diabetes who want to achieve successful health-related outcomes. DSME empowers individuals to manage diabetes through education about nutrition, medication and insulin therapy, stress management, preventive foot and eye care and other self-management areas. National Standards for DSME are evaluated nearly every five years by key organizations and federal agencies within the diabetes education community.

According to the ADA, 20.8 million people, or 7 percent of the U.S. population, have diabetes. Each day approximately 4,110 people are diagnosed with diabetes. An estimated 6.2 percent of the Connecticut adult population or approximately 163,000 adults age 18 years and older have been diagnosed with diabetes, and an additional 70,000 Connecticut adults are estimated to have undiagnosed diabetes.

The Yale New Haven Health System is comprised of Bridgeport, Greenwich, and Yale-New Haven Hospitals. Yale New Haven Health offers patients a full range of health care services of the highest quality, from primary care to the most complex care available anywhere in the world.

The Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response is a national leader in healthcare emergency preparedness and disaster response. Yale New Haven’s Center has been recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a Center for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP) – the only health system-based and health care delivery-focused CPHP in the United States.