Leon Medical Centers Earns Coveted American Diabetes Association Certification for Centro de Diabetes Education* Program

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Leon Medical Centers, a leading healthcare service provider for the Medicare community in Miami-Dade County, has earned the prestigious American Diabetes Association (ADA) Education Recognition Certificate for its quality diabetes self-management education program. This Recognition was recently awarded to the LMC’s “Centro de Diabetes” at Flagler Center on July 6, 2011 for offering high-quality education* that is essential for effective diabetes treatment.

The ADA Education Recognition effort for LMC which begun in the fall of 2010, is a voluntary process, which assures that approved education programs have met the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs. These Standards were developed and tested under the auspices of the National Diabetes Advisory Board in 1983 and were revised by the diabetes community in 1994, 2000 and 2007. Programs that achieve Recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide comprehensive information about diabetes management for participants. Education Recognition status is verified by an official certificate from ADA and awarded for four years.

“The American Diabetes Association Certification reinforces Leon Medical Centers’ commitment to continually enhance care to our patients and the community. By providing a level of care that meets the highest national standards we are able to maintain patients’ health and improve their quality of life,” said Rafael Mas, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Leon Medical Centers.

Self-management education is an essential component of diabetes treatment. By meeting the National Standards we ensure greater consistency in the quality of education offered to people with diabetes. Assuring high-quality education for patient self-care is one of the primary goals of the Education Recognition program. Unnecessary hospital admissions and some of the acute and chronic complications of diabetes may be prevented through self-management.

According to the ADA, there are 25.8 million people or 8.5% of the population in the United States who have diabetes; 11.8% are Hispanics. While an estimated 18.8 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 7.0 million people are not aware that they have the disease. Each day approximately 5,205 people are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will first learn that they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications – heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, blindness, nerve disease and amputation. About 1.9 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2010 in the US. Diabetes contributed to 231,404 deaths in 2007, making it the seventh leading cause of death in the US. Overall, the risk of death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people of similar age but without diabetes.

“It is an honor to be recognized by such a prestigious association because the process gives professionals a national standard by which to provide patients with comprehensive quality education,” said Janet Martinez, ARNP, BC, Director of Disease Management, Leon Medical Centers.

About Leon Medical Centers:

Leon Medical Centers, established in 1996, is a healthcare service provider that offers medical services exclusively to Medicare patients in Miami-Dade County. LMC operates seven Super Medical Centers located in Miami, Westchester, East Hialeah, Bird Road, West Hialeah, Kendall and Flagler and offers state-of-the-art technology such as CT scan, Digital X-rays, Ultrasound, Echocardiogram, and other diagnostics, in addition to a range of medical services that includes primary care, specialties, dental, on-site pharmacy, vision, hearing, physical therapy and laboratory.

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Rebecca Larger, 305-631-5066

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