Atrium Health Navicent Urges Community to Learn Their Diabetes Risk and Take Action Early
Diabetes affects an estimated 38 million Americans, but 1 in 5 of them don’t know they have it. With the condition becoming more and more prevalent, Atrium Health Navicent doctors urge the community to take steps to learn their diabetes risk and take action early, when it’s easier to prevent serious and life-threatening complications.
“If discovered early, lifestyle modifications like diet and exercise, and medication can prevent so much of the damage diabetes can cause to a person’s body over a lifetime,” said Dr. Timothy Griffin, who provides care at Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care North Macon. “It’s important to have awareness of the disease, and to have a conversation with your primary care provider about your risk factors. If you’ve been diagnosed, a primary care provider can help manage your condition.”
By answering a few easy-to-understand multiple choice questions online, Atrium Health’s Diabetes Risk Assessment tool offers individuals quick insight into their personal risk factors. After completing the online assessment, participants receive a report via email that can be shared with a primary care physician.
Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body is unable to produce enough insulin to regulate glucose levels in the bloodstream. Many cases of diabetes go undiagnosed. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to blindness, heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and amputation. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 98 million U.S. adults have prediabetes, and in the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese. In central Georgia, about 17 % of adults have reported being diagnosed with diabetes.
Common risk factors include smoking, too much body fat and low weekly physical activity. Age, gender and a family history of diabetes can also impact diabetes risk. People with diabetes should “know their numbers” and keep them under control. This includes blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and waist measurement.
In addition to care management offered by a primary care provider, Atrium Health Navicent provides support for individuals diagnosed with diabetes through Diabetes Healthways and the Healthy Communities Diabetes Readmission Program. Participants in both programs are offered education about diabetes management and ongoing support.
To find a doctor, visit www.NavicentHealth.org and click “Find A Doctor.”
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.