VCH patient Chelsea Barnett, 9, receives a visit from the Hershey’s Kiss this week. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Take control of diabetes March 17
The national Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) organization will host an educational and motivational conference on Sat., March 17 at the Nashville Convention Center. The conference will provide information and tools for healthy living for people with diabetes.
Vanderbilt Center for Diabetes Care members Dr. Alan L. Graber, clinical director of Endocrinology and Diabetes, and Anne Brown, CDE, CANP, clinical coordinator, are the co-directors for the Nashville TCOYD conference.
The day-long conference-intended for people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and their families-features presentations on topics including the day-to-day management of diabetes, preventing vision problems caused by diabetes, and the latest information on insurance and legal issues affecting people with diabetes. Hands-on sessions offer participants the opportunity to speak individually with diabetes nurse specialists and dietitians, try a variety of types of exercise, have cholesterol and blood pressure checked, and have foot examinations by Nashville podiatrists.
There are also special sessions for parents of children with diabetes, teen-agers and young adults with diabetes, and persons using insulin pumps.
“This is one of the most exciting programs I’ve been part of in the 18 years I’ve been taking care of diabetes patients,” Brown said. “I would recommend it, particularly to patients who have trouble meeting all of the demands that diabetes care places on them. It’s an excellent tool for helping people stay on track with their care.”
Dr. Steven V. Edelman, professor of Medicine at the University of California San Diego and director of TCOYD, started the conferences in 1995 to raise national diabetes awareness and improve diabetes care. The March 17 event is the second Nashville conference.
The early registration fee is $25 per person (on-site registration is $35 per person). The conference includes a banquet luncheon with keynote address by author, actress, and entertainer Gloria Loring, a spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Brochures for the event are available in the Medical Specialties Clinic, 2nd floor TVC, and at the Diabetes Research and Training Center, 3rd floor Medical Arts Building. To register or find out more, call 800-998-2693 or visit the Web site www.tcoyd.org.