Speare Memorial Hospital - Press Releases




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Speare Memorial Hospital (603) 536-1120

November 9 , 2007

SMH Presents Second Annual Diabetes Fair Launch of new Diabetes Education Program to be announced

PLYMOUTH, N.H. --- There are an estimated 6.2 million Americans who are undiagnosed diabetics. Every year 1.5 million people age 20+ are newly diagnosed—this equates to 4,100 per day. Could you be one of them?

That question is the focal point of Speare Memorial Hospital´s Second Annual Diabetes Fair to be held in the hospital´s Main Entrance Atrium on Monday, November 19 from 4 – 8 p.m. Hosted by the SMH Diabetes Support Group the fair is open and free to all, offering numerous informational resources and a series of educational presentations.

According to Karen Young, a SMH Diabetes Support Group member, diabetes is a very emotional disease as the diagnosis changes your whole life. "It is a disease that affects everyone differently and treatment has to be very personalized,” she says.

"Self-management is the key," explains SMH´s Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Education Marie Veselsky. "The diabetes fair is an extension of our support group that will enable patients to be proactive and help them make more informed decisions about their own self-management. The recommendations and treatment options for diabetes are changing so fast, the fair will be an opportunity to hear directly from providers." Fair attendees will be able to visit informational booths, hear educational presentations from pharmaceutical companies (see list below), receive free chair massages and play interactive games aimed at teaching them about carbohydrates and body fat.

"We don´t food police anymore," explains Veselsky. "It used to be if you were a diabetic you didn´t eat sugary foods like cookies, candy and cake. But a carbohydrate is a carbohydrate whether it is pasta or chocolate cake—everything in moderation. So understanding foods and how the body uses them to manage diet is an important component of diabetes self-management.

"Everyone should eat like a diabetic," Veselsky continues. "Zero processed food, lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, along with 30 minutes of exercise daily, are the foundation of a healthy diet no matter who you are."

Launch of SMH´s New Diabetes Education Program

The Diabetes Fair will also be an opportunity for Speare Memorial Hospital to introduce its new comprehensive Diabetes Education Program. The program will offer an integrated approach to diabetes care from understanding the diagnosis of diabetes to diet and insulin therapy with Diabetes Education Nurse Liz Mills, RN. Combined with the existing support group and exercise class, Speare Memorial Hospital will serve as a center for diabetes education and support in central New Hampshire.

For more information on the Diabetes Fair, Diabetes Support Group, exercise class or the emerging Diabetes Education Program call Marie Veselsky at (603) 238- 6472. Speare Memorial Hospital is a 24-hour, acute care, non-profit community hospital and health care provider serving Plymouth and the communities of central New Hampshire for more than a century.

SMH´s Diabetes Fair Informationl Booths Anodyne Therapy Treatment Program by SMH Rehabilitation Services Ask Your Pharmacist by SMH Pharmacy Blood sugar screen by SMH Lab/HA1C by SMH Lab Bone Density testing by SMH Radiology Cataract screening and eye exam for Diabetes by Dr. John Richards CCS Medical Diabetes Home Care Dental Health for Diabetes with Barbara Laverack, SMH dental hygienist Eating well as a Diabetic by UNH Cooperative Extension Exercise and blood pressure screening by Craig Johnson SMH Exercise Physiologist Foot Checks by Dr. James Scales LaBelle´s Shoe Repair Mid-State Health Center: Stress and Diabetes Neighborhood Pharmacy NH Department of Health and Human Services - Kathy Bermen Nutrition & Body Fat Percentage by SMH Nutrition Department Paul Richelson´s Feet First Prescription Center Sign-Up for Diabetes Self Management Training with Liz Mills, RN

Educational Presentations 4:30 p.m. Sanofi Aventis presents Insulin for Type 2 Diabetes 6 p.m. Sanofi Aventis presents Taking Control, HbAIC 7 p.m. Medtronic presents MiniMed Insulin Pump for Diabetes


Michele Barney Hutchins Director of Community Relations Speare Memorial Hospital (603) 238-6468 mhutchins@spearehospital.com