Henry Ford Health System Joins National Campaign to Improve Type 2 Diabetes Management

DETROIT Jan. 9, 2017 – Henry Ford Health System recently joined the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) national campaign Diabetes: Together 2 Goal®, which is aimed at improving Type 2 diabetes management for 1 million people across the United States. One of the most pressing chronic health conditions across the country, Type 2 diabetes currently affects more than 28 million Americans.

“Nearly 86 million Americans are pre-diabetic, and many of them don’t know it,” said Henry Ford Health System internist Delores Berrien-Jones, M.D. “One of the most important steps a person can take to determine whether they have pre-diabetes or diabetes is to talk to their medical provider about getting an annual A1c level test. The A1c test is a key indicator of long-term blood glucose control.”

Dental hygienist and University of Michigan Dental Hygiene professor Jane Halaris learned of her diabetes diagnosis in June 2016.

“I was shocked when I was diagnosed, because I thought ‘that won’t happen to me,’” Halaris said. “I didn’t have, or at least didn’t recognize, any of the symptoms of diabetes. It was just business as usual.”

Upon learning of her diagnosis, Halaris adjusted her diet with the help of her dietitian and began attending Henry Ford diabetes education classes. The classes, Halaris said, helped her understand how to manage her condition.

“The classes taught me what diabetes really is, including how it affects different parts of the body, the different treatments options available, and how to adjust my diet properly. It’s easier to manage than I thought it would be.”

For more information on Together 2 Goal®, please visit together2goal.org. To learn more about the diabetes screening, management and treatment options available through Henry Ford, please visit henryford.com/services/diabetes.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jeff Adkins

586-307-2027

Jadkins6@hfhs.org