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Diabetes Education
Staff
Newsletters
Classes
Links
Staff

Marsha Collins, PA-C, CDE, was the recipient of the 2002 Physician Assisstant of the Year for the State of Iowa. Her Diabetes Case Management program for Pella Regional Health Center is nationally recognized. She's presented this program at conferences around the country, and it has served as a prototype for diabetes case management at other facilities!
E-mail: mcollins@pellahealth.org
Michelle Webster, RN, CDE, diabetes educator, provides clinical expertise and acts as a resource to clients, families, schools and health care providers regarding Diabetes management. Michelle is responsible for the design, implementation, facilitation and evaluation of the Diabetes Education Programs to meet the individual and group learning needs.
E-mail: mwebster@pellahealth.org
Carla McFarland, RD, LD, CDE, diabetes dietitian, educates and supports people with diabetes in Pella and Knoxville. Nutrition intervention and lifestyle change is vital to success in gaining control of blood sugars. Carla has more than 25 years of dietitian experience, specializing in diabetes for the past 10 years. She also has a certificate of training in child and adolescent obesity, in addition to her work with adult weight management.
E-mail: cmcfarland@pellahealth.org
Newsletters
April 2010
January 2010
Winter 2009
October 2009
Classes
You’re part of a team of people committed to helping you manage your diabetes. But you are the most important member of the team. And the more you know, the better you’ll do.
Unlike the cold or flu, diabetes is different from most health problems you may have had. For one thing, your disease will not go away—but it can be managed by taking the proper steps and making the necessary changes to control it. You are the primary person who will treat your diabetes! The things you do every day at home effect your blood sugar more than anything the doctor can do every few months during an office visit. You decide what to eat and whether or not to exercise. You take the medicine that helps control your blood sugar every day. And because your part is so important, you are the one that needs the kind of good information that will be provided in a Diabetes Education Class.
Diabetes Education Classes are offered for those who have just been diagnosed with diabetes, those who are beginning to learn or want to update their learning on diabetes, those who have just changed treatment, or those who have a friend or family member who has diabetes. We encourage you to bring a support person to the group education classes. These informal, interactive classes are led by trained educators. To learn more about diabetes, diabetes education, or diabetes case management, call 641-621-2342.
Diabetes Education Classes include information on these topics:
- What is diabetes?
- Complications Monitoring your diabetes Medications
- Personal health habits Travel tips Exercise and diabetes
- Nutrition and diabetes Living with diabetes
- Setting goals, making changes Resources
- And more specialized topics...
We also have classes for people who would like to learn more about pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a condition where blood glucose is higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Pre-diabetes classes are designed to help you understand pre-diabetes and how to make effective lifestyle changes. This class includes:
- nutrition information
- weight loss information
- exercise information
- blood glucose monitoring
- demonstrating and testing
Sign up for a diabetes or prediabetes class here.

Links
24 million Americans have diabetes - one in three doesn't know it! Assess your risk for diabetes with this 30-second quiz. http://www.anosos.com/WL/Diabetes_Quiz.aspx
OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES
http://allrecipes.com/ada/diabetic.asp: Created as an alliance between Diabetes Forecast and the healthy living magazine of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), this site includes approved recipes, dietary information and links to the ADA website.
www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/mendosa/personal.htm: A great compilation of a variety of websites to assist children, teens, adults and seniors who face type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
www.diabetes.org: The American Diabetes Association websiteprovides diabetes information over a number of issues including travel safety.