Free Diabetes Education Program Returns to Pasadena Senior Center – Pasadena Now

In response to rising healthcare costs, Huntington Health and Pasadena Senior Center will launch a new session of the free Diabetes Empowerment and Education Program (DEEP) in January 2024.

The program originally began in 2022 and is conducted approximately four times a year and has proven successful in improving participants' blood sugar levels and health management skills.

This comprehensive initiative provides essential diabetes education and support to community members through a curriculum accredited by the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“We are a community support team within Huntington Health. We are RNs and we are involved in the community at 12 different locations…We see the whole family and we look at what they need from the monthly health exams. ” explains Kathleen Eastwood, RN, BSN.

This program is part of a 15-year partnership between Huntington Health and Pasadena Senior Center.

Classes will be held at the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St., every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. for six weeks starting January 29, 2024. Each session will monitor participants' weekly progress, including blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. And weight measurement.

Each session is limited to 10 participants, and the program provides expert guidance from Huntington Health nutritionists.

“We teach in small groups of no more than 10 people. The first lesson is understanding the human body. The fifth lesson is a very important lesson, managing your health through meal planning. I We actually Zoom in with our outpatient nutritionist in Huntington to teach that class,” Eastwood said.

Previous participants showed significant improvements in health.

“We saw their blood pressure improve. We saw their blood sugar levels improve dramatically. We saw that they could contact a specialist, maybe an endocrinologist, so they could better manage the disease.” “I've seen incredible changes as a result of my support,” Eastwood said.

The program also fostered a supportive community.

“It really becomes a support group… Some of the participants become good friends and keep in touch with each other and pretty much provide each other with resources. Someone wrote an article that really gave them strength. They'll bring it and they'll share it, they'll share their recipes, they'll share their exercise routines,” Eastwood explains.

The curriculum covers six key elements: understanding the human body, diabetes and risk factors, body monitoring, physical activity, meal planning, and prevention of complications. It is open to people with prediabetes or diabetes, their caregivers, and anyone looking to understand diabetes self-care.

Registration will be processed exclusively through Huntington Health's Community Outreach Department. If you are interested, please contact Fatima Rojas at (626) 397-3376 or email Fatima.rojas@huntingtonhealth.organization.

Additional classes will begin in March 2025, with only a few spots left in the January session.