SLUCare Diabetes Education Program Recognized by American Diabetes Association

The Saint Louis University diabetes program recently received the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Education Recognition Certificate for a quality diabetes self-management education and support service. 

The honor is given to programs which offer high-quality education, an essential component of effective diabetes treatment. The SLUCare Diabetes Clinic has endocrinologists, dietitians and diabetes educators working together to bring patients state-of-the-art treatment.

Diabetes educators use an innovative format to discuss lifestyle habits that make living with diabetes more manageable in the two-part diabetes education classes. Topics include:

• Healthy eating
• Monitoring blood sugar
• Incorporating exercise into your routine
• Diabetes medications

“We follow the national standards for diabetes self-management education and support and worked to build an education program that is informative and interactive,” said Alexis McKee, M.D., a SLUCare endocrinologist.

The two-part diabetes education classes incorporate professional continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in order to look for patterns of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia so that therapy adjustments can be recommended. 

“We’ve seen that by working with patients to better understand their disease that they are able to be pro-active about making good decisions for their overall health,” McKee said.

McKee said longtime SLU faculty member and mentor Marla Bernbaum served as inspiration for creating an educational program for the clinic. Bernbaum passed away in 2019. She lost her vision from diabetes after finishing her residency and continued her career in endocrinology at SLU for another 38 years.

“She believed in the power of education,” McKee said. “She empowered us to do this and we miss her every day.”

About the American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading non-profit health organization supporting diabetes research, advocacy and information for health professionals, people with diabetes and the public. Founded in 1940, the Association continues to support people affected by diabetes nationwide.

About the SLUCare Physician Group

SLUCare Physician Group is the academic medical practice of Saint Louis University, with more than 500 health care providers and 1,200 staff members in hospitals and medical offices throughout the St. Louis region. SLUCare physicians are among the most highly trained in their fields - more than 50 specialties in all - and are national and international experts, renowned for research and innovations in medicine.