The Blessing Diabetes Center has earned continuing recognition from the American Diabetes Association® (ADA)—the nation’s leading organization committed to fighting diabetes—through the Education Recognition Program (ERP). The ADA’s ERP certificate assures people living with diabetes that the program’s providers meet the national standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES).

Providers apply for recognition voluntarily and ADA-ERP recognition lasts for four years. The Blessing Diabetes Center was originally recognized in July 2001. Its current recognition is effective through 2030.

In photo, left to right, are the following members of the Blessing Diabetes Center team: Shelby Goben, medical office assistant; Debra Derhake, BSN, RN, CDCES, diabetes program coordinator; Dawn Crabtree, BSN, RN, clinical RN; Garrett McSwain, RD, dietitian; Duane “Dewey” Hanzel, DPM, podiatrist; Kendra Berhorst, CMA; Jennifer Frericks, RPH, CDCES, pharmacist; and Erin Vonderhaar, MSN, MBA, RN, nurse manager.

“DSMES is an essential part of managing diabetes and is as effective as diabetes medication. Therefore, all people with diabetes benefit from it,” said Barbara Eichorst, MS, RD, CDCES, the ADA’s vice president of health programs. “We applaud the Blessing Diabetes Center for its commitment to providing value-based interventions such as DSMES, maximizing corresponding outcomes, and patient experience.”

“We owe it to our patients to be on the cutting edge of the care available to them,” said Deb Derhake, RN, BSN, certified diabetes care and education specialist and program coordinator, Blessing Diabetes Center. “One of the primary goals of a recognized education program, as we have been for 25 consecutive years, is to ensure high quality education and support for our patients’ self-care.”

About diabetes

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there are over 40 million people in the U.S. population living with diabetes. Each day, nearly 3,300 Americans are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will first learn they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications—heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, nerve disease, or amputation. Diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S., contributing to nearly 400,000 deaths annually. The ADA’s latest Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. report confirms diabetes continues to be one of the nation’s most expensive chronic health care conditions.

Go to professional.diabetes.org/education-recognition-program to learn more about the ADA’s ERP and other ERP-certified services, and to blessinghealth.org/diabetes for more information about the services of the Blessing Diabetes Center.