World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225. It is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922. World Diabetes Day is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in more than 160 countries. The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public and political spotlight. 

Kelly Kassien, an RN and Diabetes Educator with Gundersen Health System will be joining us to talk about: 

• how diabetes is diagnosed

• prevention tips

• what a diabetes educator does

• current medications that are being used to treat diabetes

• and an overview of Gundersen’s programs around diabetes

Kelly has been a nurse for about 9 years, and the last 8 years with Gundersen Health System. Kelly joined the diabetes education team last May; prior to that she worked in outpatient care with internal and family medicine.  She’s always been very interested in helping patients manage diabetes and was very excited to join the diabetes education team. She says that "there’s a lot of misinformation about diabetes, so it’s nice to be able to resolve misconceptions. For example, many people think they can never eat anything with a carbohydrate again - and that’s not the case at all!" 

Here are some additional resources: 

International Diabetes Federation

National Diabetes Prevention Program 

Do you know how to prevent diabetes? (Gundersen) 

Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control (Mayo Clinic)