October 2016
A Program of LDCAA
This November we’ll showcase real-life stories of friends,  families and neighbors managing the day-to-day triumphs  and challenges of diabetes.

Join as we salute the 29 million Americans with diabetes — as well as their loved ones — to raise awareness and to create a sense of urgency about this growing public  health crisis.

The campaign invites people to submit their own stories  to capture the authenticity of those who understand this  disease best. We invite the diverse diabetes community
to stand up and declare “This Is DiabetesTM.”


RHN Sponsored Free Diabetes Education Classes and
Lunch & Learn Programs Last Month at Choctaw Memorial

Some people are more at risk than others to ultimately develop diabetes, which is a chronic disease with no known cure. Diabetes can lead to such serious complications as the conditions named above as well as nerve damage, stroke and amputation. If you have any of the following prediabetes risk factors or symptoms, as identified by Mayo Clinic and WebMD, you may want to ask your physician about blood glucose screening:
  • A parent or sibling has type 2 diabetes.
  • Your triglyceride level is above 250 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level is below 35 mg/dL.
  • You have given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
  • You have gestational diabetes or have had it in the past. Gestational diabetes is a condition that only occurs during pregnancy.
  • You’ve been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal problem.
  • You are obese or overweight, especially if your weight is mostly belly fat.
  • You have a sedentary lifestyle and rarely, if ever, exercise.
  • You are 45 years old or older.
  • You eat a high-calorie diet, whether from fat or sugars.
  • You are African-American, Latino, Native American, or a Pacific Islander.
  • You are suffering from some type of heart disease.
  • According to Best Health Magazine by Reader’s Digest, the likelihood of developing prediabetes is increased if you regularly get less than six hours of sleep each night.
  • If there have been signs that your body produces insulin but has a resistance to insulin, not responding as it should.
  • If you’ve been extremely thirsty or have noticed that you’ve been urinating more often than usual, experiencing blurred vision, or having unexplained fatigue.
 
Class Instructor: Crystal Moore RD/LD
Material – Introduction first week - Module 1 - Understanding the Human Body
Crystal also completed a Diabetes class this month at the Sooner Addition apartments located in Antlers Oklahoma, with three Graduates. 


 
Class Instructor: Nora Testerman, DEEP Peer Educator - 10 Graduates
Materials Covered:
Module 1- Understanding the Human Body
Module 2-Understanding Diabetes and its Risk Factors
Module 3-Monitoring Your Body
Module 4- Get up & Move! Diabetes and Exercise
Module 5-Managing Diabetes through Nutrition
Module 6-Diabetes Complications: Identification and Prevention
Module 7- Learning about Medications and Medical Care 
Module 8- Living with Diabetes: Mobilizing your Family & Friends

For more information about upcoming classes. contact  Nora Testerman, Rural Health Network of Oklahoma, at   580.372.0531  or Crystal Moore  580.317.3390.
RHN Member Spotlight: Choctaw Nation Health Clinic
(L to R) Back row: Cass Davis, Joe Moore. Middle row: Ronnie Hampton, Brendon Gibson, Barbara Trapp, Connie Lakey,  Carolyn Karr, Rose Harris, Chuck Mad Bull, Nancy Linn,  Janette Parsons, Lacey Heath. Mildred Wright, Tammy Thompson and  Adelene Martel . Front row: Margaret Heady, Cindy Brown, Misty Nichols, Alexis Winship, Christy Justice,  Karen Wyrick, Chelsea Hendon, Ashlee Davidson, Ariel Bond, Miranda Blancett and MaLinda Pollard,
The Choctaw Nation Health Clinic located in Hugo, Oklahoma is a small, rural Joint Commission accredited ambulatory health care center. Originally built in 1975, the clinic was completely renovated in 2010 into a modern state of the art facility. This busy health care facility with 34 staff serves the Tri-State area of Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas. It provides ambulatory outpatient health care to approximately 1,800 patients per month in the surrounding rural community. The Choctaw Nation Health Clinic of Hugo became a Rural Health Network member in March of 2016.

Full-time providers at the health center include two physicians, one physician assistant, one dentist and one optometrist. A speech language Pathologist is employed 3 days per week, behavioral health counselor five days a week and a podiatrist is employed two days a week. The clinic renders outpatient services in general family medicine (pediatrics through geriatrics), medical imaging, nutritional counseling, behavioral health, diabetic education, community health nursing, and laboratory services. Acute and chronic disease management is triaged daily. The clinic contracts for specialty services.

The pharmacy is staffed with two pharmacists and one pharmacy technician and it offers an anticoagulation clinic which meets national standards for anticoagulation therapy management. This includes blood testing the patient’s Coumadin levels in order to make safe dosage adjustments. It complies with the guidelines for Coumadin dosing and monitoring as recommended by the American College of Chest Physicians.

The city of Hugo is located in beautiful Kiamichi country in the Tri-State area of Southeast Oklahoma 25 miles north of the Texas state line and has a population of approximately 5,500. It is the county seat of Choctaw County and it is nicknamed “Circus City U.S.A.” because it serves as winter quarters for two local circuses. Just seven miles to the east of the clinic is the Kiamichi Park on Hugo Lake. The Kiamichi Park offers 86 campsites and recreational facilities for boating, fishing, camping, and picnicking. The counties of this area share a common history and heritage. There are many historic and cultural resources that are valuable assets to the region. 

Hours of Operations:
Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
(Wednesday’s hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

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