SURPRISE, ARIZ., Oct. 30, 2018 – Sun Health’s diabetes prevention course has earned “full recognition” from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making it the first in-person National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) in Arizona to receive this designation.
“Our diabetes educators have helped hundreds of people reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. We are proud to be one of the first programs in the state to receive full recognition status,” says Jennifer Drago, executive vice president of Population Health at Sun Health.
Full recognition takes on added importance because Medicare recently began covering the NDPP as a benefit for Medicare patients already diagnosed with prediabetes. Sun Health has offered the CDC curriculum for prediabetes for several years. Classes are taught by an exercise physiologist who also is a certified health coach and two certified diabetes educators/registered dietitian nutritionists.
Developed by the CDC, the NDPP is a lifestyle-change and education program designed for those at risk for, or already diagnosed with, prediabetes. It’s clinically proven to cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more than half. The CDC reports that a weight loss of five to seven percent of body weight — for example, 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person — can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. In adults over 65, it’s been shown to reduce the risk by 71 percent.
To earn full recognition, NDPP providers must meet rigorous CDC standards based on an organization’s curriculum, number of participants entering the program with a qualifying blood test, participant engagement and success in meeting weight loss goals.
Learn more at sunhealthwellbeing.org/diabetes-prevention or call (623) 832-WELL (9355).
Upcoming NDPP Series Class Dates for 2019
Starting Monday, Jan. 7, 9 to 10 a.m.
Banner Boswell Medical Center Support Services Building
13180 N. 103rd Dr., Sun City
Starting Friday, Jan. 11, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Sun Health Center for Health & Wellbeing
14719 W. Grand Ave., Surprise
About Sun Health
A long-standing champion of healthy living and superior health care, Sun Health is a community-based nonprofit organization providing philanthropy, senior living Life Care programs and communities (Grandview Terrace in Sun City West, La Loma Village in Litchfield Park, The Colonnade in Surprise and Sun Health at Home), and health and wellbeing services. The Sun Health Foundation is proud to serve as the exclusive fundraising arm of Banner Boswell Medical Center, Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center, and the Banner Sun Health Research Institute. Our partnership provides West Valley residents with the very best in medical care and community wellness programs to serve your needs, now and in the future. Learn more at www.sunhealth.org.
