Media Contact: Michael Schwartzberg, GBMC Media Relations Manager

(O): 443-849-2126/Cell: 410-258-3465eMarch 2:]

GBMC’s Geckle Diabetes & Nutrition Center

Earns Education Recognition Again  

BALTIMORE, Md. –  August 8, 2007 – Greater Baltimore Medical Center’s Geckle Diabetes & Nutrition Center self-management education program has been recognized again by the American Diabetes Association for its quality care. The center, which received a three-year Education Recognition Certificate from the ADA, was first recognized in July 2001 and again in 2004.

The Geckle Center, which opened in 1998, provides diabetes education and nutritional counseling for patients with all forms of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational.  Classes and one-on-one counseling with expert clinicians focus on self-management skills, insulin pump placement and lifestyle changes, with patients receiving extensive diabetes education, monitoring and support, and a thorough review of their medical condition.

The recognition acknowledges that the Geckle Center’s program meets national standards and employs knowledgeable health professionals who provide patients with comprehensive and state-of-the-art information about diabetes management.  The Geckle Center has approximately 4,300 patient visits annually.

“This ADA certification validates the work our nurses, dietitians, and physicians assistants do every day in working with patients to help them manage their conditions and master the self-management skills necessary to control their health,” said Gail Sallitt, RN, MS, CDE, program director for the Geckle Center.  “Through appropriate self-management, unnecessary hospital admissions and some of the acute and chronic complications of diabetes can be prevented.”

The Geckle Center also provides personalized education for other conditions such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, eating disorders, unexplained weight loss, celiac disease, irritable bowel disease, and renal disease, and education for patients on dietary lipids and exercise management.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 20.8 million people in the United States (seven percent of the population) have diabetes – an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed, while an estimated 6.2 million are unaware they have the disease.  Daily, approximately 4,110 people are diagnosed with diabetes.  Many first learn they have the disease when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications – heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and nerve disease and amputation.

About GBMC    

GBMC includes Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), Central Maryland’s leading community hospital; Hospice of Baltimore, which provides comfort and care to patients with life-limiting illnesses; and the GBMC Foundation, which supports the GBMC mission by managing fundraising efforts.  The 292-bed Medical Center, located on a beautiful suburban campus, serves nearly 22,000 inpatients annually and provides approximately 60,000 emergency room visits. For more information, go to www.gbmc.org

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