Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to properly control blood sugar levels. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar (glucose), starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults.
Individuals with type 1 diabetes need to replace the body's insulin with insulin shots or an insulin pump. Learning a child or young adult has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes can cause initial panic. But people with type 1 diabetes can live long, healthy, happy lives through the following:
- Blood sugar monitoring
- Doctor prescribed medication
- Nutrition (healthy diet)
- Fitness
Virtua's diabetes program is lead by supportive certified diabetes educators. The team helps patients learn to reduce their risk of long-term complications and manage each type of diabetes.
Virtua also offers a variety of programs, including an outpatient diabetes self-management education program that is one of three programs in the region recognized for excellence by the American Diabetes Association. Additional diabetes programs offered at Virtua include:
- Weight management programs
- Diabetes fitness classes at the William G. Rohrer Center for HealthFitness
- Stress management program
- Halloween candy exchange for kids with diabetes
- Safe syringe disposal program
- Support groups for pediatric, adolescent and adult diabetes
- Outpatient nutrition counseling with continuous glucose monitoring