February 27, 2014

  

      

Diabetes and heart disease can be linked in several ways, for instance, two out of three people with diabetes die of heart disease or stroke. Research has shown that people with diabetes can lower their risk for heart disease by managing the ABCs of diabetes -- A1C, blood pressure, cholesterol -- and stopping smoking. At the CDC website www.yourdiabetesinfo.org/Heart, there are resources that you can use to help people with diabetes know that taking care of their diabetes can prevent heart problems. Other good resources for heart health include the National Diabetes Education Program's Take Care of Your Heart. Manage Your Diabetes and Million Hearts initiative -- which has a goal of preventing one million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. Click here to see a great infographic on Diabetes and Your Heart. 

The YMCA of Greater Omaha is now offering the Diabetes Prevention Program. For those at risk for type 2 diabetes, the program provides a supportive environment where participants can work with others in a small group setting to learn how to adopt healthy habits to reduce chances of developing the disease. Sessions begin at two locations in March. To learn more, go to the program's website, or contact Molly Mieras at (402) 977-4298 or mmieras@metroymca.org.

The 16th Annual Dream Gala, hosted by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, will be Saturday, March 22 at the Embassy Suites in Lincoln. The theme this year is 'It's Black and White, A Cure is in Sight', individual tickets are $175, and registration ends March 20. To learn more or to register, click here, or contact Jayne Ullstrom at (402) 484-8300 or jullstrom@jdrf.org.

The University of Nebraska Extension Office invites people with diabetes and family members to participate in a new diabetes education program. The Control Your Diabetes for Life series is offered via distance learning at several locations throughout Nebraska. Participants will learn about current issues related to diabetes from educators with more than 20 years of team-teaching experience. The first of three two-hour sessions will be March 10. For more information and to see locations, go to the Events page of our website.

Join the Diabetes Education Center of the Midlands for its 30th Annual Seminar, titled 'Challenges in Diabetes', on Saturday, April 12, at the Ramada Plaza Omaha Hotel Convention Center in Omaha. For more information about the seminar, please email info@diabetes-education.com or call (402) 399-0777. The center also offers diabetes education classes year-round.

The Nebraska Association of Diabetes Educators will host its annual conference, titled 'New Perspectives in Managing Diabetes', on March 28 in Kearney. The conference is designed for healthcare professionals who care for persons with diabetes in various clinical settings. To register or learn more, go to www.myaadenetwork.org/nebraska. The registration deadline is March 14. Email cindy.polich@cox.net with any questions.

Tobacco users who are ready to quit have another tool available to them. The Nebraska Tobacco Quitline has launched the QuitNow mobile app. The app supports tobacco users through their entire quit process -- from setting a quit date to identifying their reasons for quitting to conquering cravings. To boost motivation, the app also tracks money saved and days added back to a person's life. Click here to learn more about the app.

While cancer and heart disease may be the most prominent health risks among U.S. Latinos, a recent poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health notes that Latinos view diabetes as the most serious risk to the health of their families. An article by the publication Saludify further explains the poll results.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Offices of Women's and Men's Health and Health Disparities and Health Equity are offering a free online course to train Community Health Workers in Nebraska. The course is designed for individuals working in communities who can connect people to health services. Registration is open until March 7, with the first meeting on March 26. To learn more, please visit the training website, or email dhhs.chw@nebraska.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is looking for volunteers to take part in two studies. The first, called the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE), compares the long-term benefits of four widely used diabetes drugs in combination with metformin. In the second, called the Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) study, researchers are investigating whether a vitamin D supplement helps prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in adults with prediabetes.