Out Patient Diabetes Care Center

Our Diabetes Care Center is accredited by the American Diabetes Association. We offer comprehensive diabetes self-management education through classes and individual counseling. Education is the most basic tool of diabetes care and with the skills and knowledge you gain from diabetes education, you can lead a healthy and active life. Diabetes can be frustrating and difficult to live with, so empower and inform yourself and manage your diabetes, today! For information about our outpatient program or a referral form, call our Diabetes Care Center at (530) 244-5455.

An estimated one out of four seniors in the United States has diabetes, or nearly seven percent of the total population. Known as a silent killer, 5 million people are unaware that they are affected. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes

What are the signs and symptoms of diabetes?

People who develop diabetes may have one or more of these symptoms:

• Often feeling very tired
• Being thirsty a lot
• Frequent urination
• A sudden or unexplained weight loss
• Blurry vision
• Being more hungry than usual
• Wounds or cuts that won’t heal
• Numbness or tingling of the feet

Understand the exact causes of diabetes is not yet known, but Americans' inactive lifestyle and diets full of fats, salt and sugar is suspect of the rise in the number of diabetic patients. Persons at risk also include those over age 45, overweight individuals and certain ethnic groups (African American, Latino and Native American).

Inpatient Diabetes Care

In 2010, Shasta Regional Medical Center was the first hospital in California and 11th in the nation to receive a Certificate of Distinction for our Advanced Inpatient Diabetes Care from The Joint Commission. What this certification means for patients with diabetes is that Shasta Regional meets rigorous standards to control patient blood-sugar levels while they are hospitalized so they experience better outcomes and heal more quickly.

We have experienced doctors, educators, dietitians and a staff of nurses who have been especially trained in diabetes management and work together as a team to develop a customized treatment plan for patient with diabetes.

What is Diabetes

Everyone has glucose (sugar) in their blood.  It is the fuel for the body’s cells. Glucose comesfrom the food you eat as well as what your body produces. A hormone produced in the pancreas, called insulin, moves sugar from the blood stream to the cells where it is used for energy.  In diabetes, sugar cannot travelfrom the blood steam into the body cells so it stays in the blood. This is caused when either the body does not produce enough insulin or it does not use insulin correctly. Over time, high blood sugar, called hyperglycemia, can lead to serious health problems such as heart attacks, strokes, and blindness. Finding out you have diabetes is scary, but don't panic. People with diabetes can live long, healthy, happy lives when they learn how to manage the disease.

Types and Treatment

Type 1
Type 1 is usually called juvenile-onset diabetes. This type occurs when the pancreas makes little or no insulin. The body’s own immune system may attack the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Most often seen in children and young adults, Type-1 diabetes is treated with daily insulin injections and careful meal planning. Regular exercise also is important in controlling the disease.

Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5% to 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Risk factors for Type 1 diabetes may be autoimmune, genetic, or environmental. There is no known way to prevent Type 1 diabetes. Several clinical trials of methods of the prevention of type 1 diabetes are currently in progress or are being planned.

Type 2
Type 2 is usually called adult-onset diabetes and is associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. Type 2 accounts for more than 90% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes and is reaching epidemic proportions. Unlike Type 1, the body becomes unable to make enough insulin or to use it properly. Treatment includes medications (insulin and other drugs), sensible eating and exercise routine.

Gestational Diabetes

During pregnancy, some women experience gestational diabetes. Pregnancy hormones tend to make the body resist insulin. This type of diabetes usually goes away soon after the baby is born. After pregnancy, 5% to 10% of women with gestational diabetes are found to have type 2 diabetes. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 20% to 50% chance of developing diabetes in the next 5 -10 years.

 

Contact phone numbers:

Admitting 244-5335

Diabetes Care Management 244-5455

Emergency Room 244-5353

Medical/Surgical 244-8263

Ortho/Neuro 244-5430

Telemetry 244-5441

Wound Care Center 229-2954