Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at Shore Health System

Diabetes Education and Treatment

Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., affecting more than 20 million Americans. Yet as many as six million of those individuals don’t know they have it. The Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at Shore Health System opened in November of 2008 to bring the expertise of the world’s foremost diabetes education, research and treatment center to Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Diabetes is a medical condition in which a person’s body cannot produce or properly use insulin, an essential hormone, which converts sugar, starches and other food into energy. This can lead to many medical complications, including heart attack, stroke, blindness, nerve damage, kidney failure and poor circulation. Diabetes leads to the death of an estimated 224,000 people in the U.S. every year.

Type 1 diabetes is most commonly found in children whose bodies have stopped producing insulin. Type 2 is by far the more common form of diabetes, accounting for 95 percent of cases, and is usually linked to lifestyle issues. People with diabetes are often over 40, although the incidence is increasing in younger people. Other risk factors include being overweight; a family history of diabetes; high blood pressure; low HDL (or “good”) cholesterol and high triglycerides; and belonging to certain ethnic or minority groups, specifically African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders.

“The Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at Shore Health System brings the expertise of the world’s foremost diabetes center to Maryland’s Eastern Shore.”

Early intervention is critical since individuals with pre-diabetes have a 50 percent increased risk for heart disease or stroke. Symptoms may be absent or occur slowly over time, so they are not easily recognized. Warning signs include unusual thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision or unexplained fatigue.

The Joslin Diabetes Center, founded in 1898 in Boston, has helped to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes worldwide. Joslin’s innovative research and pioneering approaches to clinical care and education aim to improve the lives of people with diabetes and its complications, leading ultimately to the prevention and cure of the disease.

The Shore Health System Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate located at The Memorial Hospital in Easton is part of the University of Maryland Medical System Joslin Affiliate Program and is the only diabetes specialty clinic on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. At the center, endocrinologists (physicians who specialize in diabetes and other diseases linked to the endocrine system), provide medical care and services for people ages 18 and older with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The team also includes nurses, a registered dietitian and a pharmacist, who are certified diabetes educators, and psychosocial support staff. An in-house lab processes tests that measure how effectively patients are managing their diabetes.

Patients are counseled on exercise, stress reduction, weight control and other lifestyle modifications that help them successfully manage their disease. New patients are offered four two-hour sessions of comprehensive diabetes education with a certified diabetes educator. Refresher courses are scheduled annually. Education is also offered for gestational diabetes, which can occur during pregnancy.

Individuals are usually referred to the Joslin Diabetes Center by their primary care physician, who is kept informed about treatment recommendations and progress being made toward health goals.

Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at Shore Health System
219 S. Washington Street
Easton, MD 21601
410-822-1000, ext. 5757

www.shorehealth.org/services/joslin

Pictured: Dr. James Mersey and Dr. Priya Krishnamurthy
Photography: Richard Dorbin