Deadline extended to register for Center for Healthy Living's upcoming 'Living with Diabetes' program

There is still time to register for the upcoming "Living with Diabetes" program, a comprehensive program offered by the Center for Healthy Living on the West Lafayette campus for people doing just that -- living with diabetes. The registration deadline has been extended to Jan. 27. Those wishing to participate in the upcoming program can call 49-45239 to begin setting initial meetings with the center's team members. 

As a reminder, the primary objective of the program is to share essential education and support so participants can manage their condition, stay healthy and prevent complications. Participants will gain the educational tools needed for success and develop a plan to become an active partner with their health care provider.

According to Millie Fenneman, practice administrator at the Center for Healthy Living, during the fall 2014 session, 73 individuals successfully completed the program and made changes to improve their lives.

"Type 1 and 2 participants reduced their baseline hemoglobin A1C, a measurement of a person's average levels of blood glucose, or blood sugar, over the past three months, by an average of 0.4 percent," Fenneman says. "Some participants had a reduction in their hemoglobin A1C by as much as 4.9 percent."

Medication discounts are available to participants covered under a Purdue medical plan, and all participants will have access to the center's health care professionals, including:

* A registered nurse (RN) who is a certified diabetes educator and health and wellness coach.

* A pharmacist (PharmD) who is specially trained in medication therapy management (MTM).

* A registered dietitian (RD) who will assist with individualized meal planning.

The program consists of a pre-assessment, post-assessment, 12-week class that meets once a week and ongoing health coaching and pharmacist visits tailored to the participant's needs.

Classes will run Mondays from Feb. 1 through April 25 and Thursdays from Feb. 4 through April 28. The class will not meet the week of March 14 due to spring vacation.

Participants will enroll for one of the following class meeting times.

* Mondays, noon-1 p.m., Felix Haas Hall.
* Mondays, 2-3 p.m., Felix Haas Hall.
* Thursdays, 8-9 a.m., Hall for Discovery and Learning Research.
* Thursdays, noon-1 p.m., Hall for Discovery and Learning Research.

Details about the "Living with Diabetes" program and discounts are available online. See the recent Purdue Today article for additional information -- please note that the registration deadline has been extended to Jan. 27. For a firsthand account of how the program can help someone live with diabetes, Matthew McClain's testimonial in the recent HR Connect shares a real-life depiction of how this program works and the benefits that can be enjoyed by participants.

Questions about the program should be directed to Kamal Singh, worksite health pharmacist, at 49-66833.

All Center for Healthy Living workshops are free for benefits-eligible faculty and staff -- including those who have opted out of Purdue medical coverage -- and for spouses/same-sex domestic partners and adult dependents covered on a Purdue medical plan. The "Living with Diabetes" program is also open to parents and guardians of children under the age of 18 (covered on a Purdue medical plan) who have been diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who would like to attend on behalf of their child(ren). The same plan provisions in regards to medication discounts would apply to the child(ren).

For more information on all services offered at the center, visit the center's website. The center is open for provider appointments 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Lab hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For medical consultation needs after hours or on weekends, contact the Anthem nurse line at 888-279-5449 for assistance.