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The Wright Center for Community Health to host program for people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes
The Wright Center for Community Health is hosting a lifestyle modification program starting this spring to help people prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
The Wright Center is offering the National Diabetes Prevention Program at its community health centers in Jermyn and Scranton. The 26-session, evidence-based program helps individuals with prediabetes lower their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Participants can attend classes in person or virtually.
Melissa Germano, director of lifestyle modification and preventive
medicine at The Wright Center for Community Health
Classes will begin on Tuesday, April 28, at 5:30 p.m. at The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn.
The Wright Center for Community Health in Scranton, 501 S. Washington Ave., will host a class beginning on Wednesday, April 29, at 3 p.m.
For more information or to see if you qualify for the classes, contact Melissa Germano, a registered dietitian and director of lifestyle modification and preventive medicine at The Wright Center, at germanom@ TheWrightCenter.org or at 570-892-8598.
An estimated 88 million – more than 1 in 3 – American adults have prediabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as Type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 80% of people with prediabetes do not know they have it.
“Type 2 diabetes is a serious, chronic condition that can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, blindness, and kidney failure,” said Melissa Germano, a registered dietitian and director of lifestyle modification and preventive medicine at The Wright Center. “The Diabetes Prevention Program empowers people with practical, everyday tools – like healthy eating, physical activity, and stress management – to take control of their health and prevent Type 2 diabetes before it starts.”
To qualify for the program, participants must be 18 or older; have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher (23 or higher for Asian-American patients); have no prior diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes; and not be pregnant.
Participants must also meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Had a blood test result in the prediabetes range within the past year (includes any of these tests and results):
- Hemoglobin A1C: 5.7%–6.4%
- Fasting plasma glucose: 100–125 mg/dL
- Two-hour plasma glucose (after a 75g glucose load): 140–199 mg/dL
- Be previously diagnosed with gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
- Received a high-risk result (score of 5 or higher) on a prediabetes risk test at www.cdc.gov/prediabetes/risktest/index.html
