"Sugar Shakers"

Diabetes Self-Management Program

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Residents of Fulton and Montgomery counties are urged to contact CHC for their needs related to diabetes. The agency has two certified diabetes educators who are also registered nurses, and holds the prestigious American Diabetes Association Education Recognition Certificate.

Diabetes education gives patients the knowledge and skills to be able to effectively manage their diabetes on a daily basis.

Once a CHC diabetes educator teaches a newly diagnosed patient the basics of managing the disease, they can then enter CHC's Diabetes Self-Management Education Program. This 10-hour program is held over several weeks at various locations in Fulton and Montgomery counties and is available to anyone (including caregivers) who would benefit from education about diabetes. Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance may pay for the program. Many current clients are already getting the benefit of teaching and monitoring through the agency's cutting-edge telemedicine program, which allows clinicians to track the patient's blood sugar or diet habits via a video or non-video monitor placed in the patient's home.

CHC's Diabetes Support Group is also available free of charge to residents with diabetes and their families. This popular group is moderated by experts and allows members to listen to specialists and discuss all things related to diabetes. Call CHC for meeting dates/times.

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Wound, Ostomy, Continence Care

MaryJo Nethaway, RN, CWOCN, is Community Health Center’s Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse. She consults with nurse case managers in the agency on a regular basis, and heads up the wound care team, which includes several nurses who are specially trained to care for wounds. She is an expert in the care of patients with wound, ostomy and continence problems. Wound, Ostomy and Continence nurses manage conditions such as stomas, draining wounds, fistulas, vascular ulcers, pressure ulcers, neuropathic wounds, urinary

incontinence, fecal incontinence, and functional disorders of the bowel and bladder. Many patients with chronic wounds have finally found relief and healing thanks to her cutting-edge techniques in wound care.

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Developmental Services

The Developmental Services program is geared toward children from birth to age 5 who are behind or at risk of becoming delayed in speech, movement or learning. Services include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, special education, nursing, nutrition services, social work services and service coordination.

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Disease Management

Whether a patient faces diabetes, heart problems, depression, or another disease, Community Health Center can help the patient sort through the many aspects of managing a disease, from medicine management, to gathering community resources, to monitoring nutrition. No one’s life is simple these days, and CHC can help with all of the aspects of managing with a disease before it becomes overwhelming.

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Home Telemonitoring Program

CHC is the first home care agency in the region to use telemonitoring devices in our patient's homes. The devices allow CHC to monitor the vital signs of patients 7 days a week and provide care when a patients need it most. The device takes about 3 minutes to collect daily vital signs including temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation level, weight, and others if necessary. The patient also answers yes or no questions customized to their specific medical condition to further complete their health picture for the day.

The information gathered by the monitor is then transmitted automatically to Community Health Center where it is reviewed daily by a registered nurse who supervises each case. If the monitoring system shows that a patient's vital signs are out of the range designated by their physician, the nurse contacts the patient to help troubleshoot the problem, and can then make recommendations to the patient, schedule a nursing visit, or consult with the patient's physician.

Patients say they love using the monitoring system, because it is easy to use, and allows them to feel that there is a trained medical professional watching over them.

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Nutrition & Wellness Program

"Weight For Me" --

See Our Weight Loss Program Flyer

Community Health Center offers in-home nutritional counseling services. This program is designed to focus on services in the home including dietary assessments, consultations, education, and collaboration with Occupational and Physical Therapists, Social Workers and other community agencies.

CHC provides weight management and healthy eating for those individuals who are underweight /undernourished, overweight/obese, managing a disease, or nutritionally deficient. Assistance is provided to those with physical and developmental disabilities to improve functioning or offer coping strategies to increase independence.   

Dietitians plan food and nutrition programs and supervise the preparation and serving of meals. They help to prevent and treat illnesses by promoting healthy eating habits and recommending dietary modifications, such as the use of less salt for those with high blood pressure or the reduction of fat and sugar intake for those who are overweight. They assess patients' nutritional needs, develop and implement nutrition programs, and evaluate and report the results. They also confer with doctors and other healthcare professionals in order to coordinate medical and nutritional needs. Some clinical dietitians specialize in the management of overweight patients or the care of critically ill or renal (kidney) and diabetic patients.

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