St. John’s Accredited as Diabetes Services Program

FAR ROCKAWAY, 2018—Monday, December 17, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital has been accredited by the American Association of Diabetes Educators as a Diabetes Self-Management Education Services Program. As a program certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the hospital is able to provide patients covered under Medicare and Medicaid with critical Diabetes Education services.

As part of this program, St. John’s will offer a six week intensive Diabetes Education Workshop for patients who would like to learn more about effectively managing their diabetes treatment. This program will occur in addition to the hospital’s monthly Diabetes Wellness Program meetings, which are also welcome to patients.

Natalie S. Schwartz, MD, Chief Population Health Officer and board certified endocrinologist serves as the program and quality coordinator for the Diabetes Self-Management Education Services Program (DSMES). In addition, St. John’s team members Helen Montero and Esther Obasogie have been certified as master instructors for Chronic Disease Self-Management programs. These 6-week programs will be provided in partnership with various community-based organizations in order to provide those with diabetes and other chronic diseases with information on organizing their healthcare, diet, and exercise. Workshops will be offered in both English and Spanish.

“The specific mission of the DSMES program at St. John’s is to provide quality, comprehensive diabetes self-management education and support to those people on the Rockaway Peninsula and surrounding communities living with and affected by diabetes,” said Dr. Schwartz. “We believe that improved selfcare behaviors, including healthy eating, being active, taking medication, monitoring, problem-solving, healthy coping, and reducing risks—are key to improved clinical outcomes, avoidance of complications, and optimal emotional health. We are privileged at St. John’s to have an expert team of diabetes instructors, including registered dietitian/certified diabetes educator, an outpatient clinical pharmacist, and two registered nurses committed to the empowerment of this community.”

For more information on St. John’s Episcopal Hospital’s diabetes education initiatives, please contact Senior Hemodialysis Dietitian Stephanie Cordaro at 718-869-5425. For more information on this accreditation, please contact the American Association of Diabetes Educators at www.DiabetesEducators.org.

About St. John’s

St. John’s Episcopal Hospital is the only hospital providing emergency and ambulatory care to the densely populated, culturally and economically diverse, and medically underserved populations of the Rockaways and Five Towns in southern Queens County and southwestern Nassau County, New York. Celebrating over 110 years of community care, the 257-bed facility provides people of all faiths with comprehensive preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative services, regardless of ability to pay.