Help the College of Community Health Sciences reach its goal of $2,500 to expand patient education programs at University Medical Center and rural and underserved communities in west Alabama. Consider a gift to The Grateful Patient Support Fund, which was established by one of our late patient’s daughters to support patient programs with a focus on primary care and geriatric care. It will expand and support ongoing programs such as the Diabetes Self-Management Education Course, Hypertension: Hiding In Plain Sight Course, nutrition counseling and social services. Your contributions will also support future initiatives in health and wellness coaching and other programs associated with primary and geriatric patient care. Enhancing our educational programs benefit our West Alabama communities by helping people learn to better manage and prevent chronic conditions and other health concerns in order to improve their overall health and quality of life.
Diabetes Self-Management Education Course
The course consists of two classes that are three hours each. The sessions are taught by various CCHS faculty and providers and explain to patients the basics of the disease—how to monitor glucose and blood sugar levels, how and where to give insulin shots and how insulin works with the body.
The importance of exercise, types of medications available and their potential side effects, information about social services and depression treatment, a major side effect of diabetes, and guided grocery store visits to choose healthy options are just a few of the areas covered by this program.
Diabetes Success Story: Mike Burger
Mike Burger is a patient at University Medical Center who participated in the diabetes self-management education course. In early June 2016, Mike Burger learned he was diabetic and had high blood pressure during a physical at UMC. Burger was 67 years old and weighed 357 pounds. Working with the staff and doctors at UMC and developing a new lifestyle plan Burger was able to lose 86 pounds and complete his lifelong goal of walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail in Spain.
Hypertension: Hiding in Plain Sight Course
Hiding in Plain Sight (HIPS): An Innovative Hypertension Identification and Treatment Program is designed to identify University Medical Center patients with elevated blood pressure who might not yet be diagnosed with hypertension. A lifestyle curriculum for patients was developed as part of the study, and this information is now being transferred into an app to provide improved access for UMC patients.
Patient Involvement in Education
Mary Jolly, a long-time patient of University Medical Center and a member of the University Medical Center Patient Advisory Council, often speaks with the new classes of medical students and resident physicians. She shares her thoughts and advice from her experiences as a patient at UMC.
