As I am sure we are all well aware, November is American Diabetes Month with November 14th being World Diabetes Day. I think that the ADA and AADE and WDD do a great job promoting and informing people about diabetes. So where do that leave the diabetes educator?
Last year at my little hospital out here in New Bern, NC, I made a huge deal about American Diabetes Month. I made word searches and crosswords and a trivia quiz. I made a bulletin board to help promote awareness and had everyone I could sign their name to one of the Stop Diabetes Hands that the ADA put out. I encouraged the staff to dress in blue on November 14th and we even got gels to light the hospital up in a blue light. My goal was to inform and teach and gain some enthusiasm for this disease we all fight each day against. I’d like to hope I succeeded.
This year, life got in the way a little and I’m not making as big of a deal, but I’m still putting the message out there. I’ve emailed everyone the statistics, my bulletin board just got finished this morning and we are planning on turning the hospital blue again on November 14th.
I see the success in the people stopping to look at the interactive bulletin board, the pastor asking me for tidbits and materials that they can take each week to their bible study and put in their bulletins, with the thank you from a spouse of a PWD for spreading the word.
So, as your chair for NC’s CB, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your work each day with people with diabetes. Thank you for volunteering your own time to walk in a Step Out or JDRF walk. Thank you for volunteering to be a leader in your LNG or with the state CB. Thank you for letting me serve you this year and next as your state chair.
Thank you for educating.
Thank you for advocating.
Thank you for supporting.
Thank you for caring.