DETROIT, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greater Detroit Area Health Council's (GDAHC) Save Lives Save Dollars (SLSD) initiative, in partnership with the American Diabetes Association, sanofi-aventis, and the Detroit Regional Chamber, recently launched a pilot program to help people with diabetes better manage their care. The pilot aims to help connect employers, community organizations and labor groups with worksite Diabetes Self Management Education (DSME) training that will help employees with diabetes practice better nutrition, weight control and exercise and succeed in performing complex treatment procedures as part of their daily lifestyle routine. Sanofi-aventis is providing funding and technical assistance to help start this project.
"One of the primary focus areas of Save Lives Save Dollars is diabetes, which is very prevalent in southeastern Michigan. Once diagnosed, it cannot be cured, but it can be controlled," said Vernice Davis Anthony, president and CEO, Greater Detroit Area Health Council. "By partnering to provide information and education to help people with diabetes better manage their care, as a community, we will be able to improve community health status, increase the quality of health care and encourage the prevention of the costly and common complications of diabetes - heart disease, blindness and amputation."
National data show that about half of the people with diabetes have had no formal training in making appropriate lifestyle decisions and maintaining a daily health care routine to manage this condition.
"Working with GDAHC to implement Diabetes Self Management Education
training is a natural tie for the American Diabetes Association," says
Debbie O'Leary, executive director of the ADA's Michigan/Northwest Ohio
office. "We believe in empowering people with diabetes to take control of
their disease and make the life long lifestyle changes necessary for
successful self- management. We are pleased our Winning at Work
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| SOURCE The Greater Detroit Area Health Council Copyright©2007 PR Newswire. All rights reserved |