With Diabetes Center, Whittier helps keep patients in the know

As diabetes prevention and education move to the forefront of the national health care stage, Whittier Street Health Center is poised to lead the city of Boston as an educator and innovator in this critical field.

Whittier’s Diabetes Center of Excellence, directed by acclaimed Boston champion of health Dr. Mark Drews, offers both prevention and treatment for pre-diabetes, type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, the most prevalent form of this chronic disease.

Type 2 diabetes is especially prevalent in the African American community. Statistics show that 70 percent more African Americans, and twice as many Hispanics, suffer from diabetes as whites. For this reason, the communities of Boston, Roxbury, Dorchester and beyond need a special focus on this particular problem.

Type 2 diabetes occurs most often in adults and results from the body’s resistance to insulin, which is necessary for sugar to travel from the blood into cells. When sugar cannot be carried into cells, blood glucose levels rise and have immediate effects on health — including fatigue, weight loss, blurred vision and fainting — as well as long-term effects such as damage to the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves.

This can lead to renal failure, blindness and an increased risk of heart attacks, one consequence that Drews said many of the afflicted don’t know about.

“Most diabetics don’t know that the number one cause of death is heart attack, which is why controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol is so important,” he said.

At Whittier’s multidisciplinary diabetic clinics, held in both English and Spanish and open every Friday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, patients learn about the best possible treatments for diabetes.

“Because the disease affects every aspect of a diabetic’s life, the importance of education and self-management can’t be overstated. Patients only interact with the medical system for a short amount of time, and they are on their own the rest of the time,” said Drews. “Self-management goes a long way in terms of treatment and control of diabetes.”

Which is why Whittier’s “unique team approach” to chronic disease care, as Drews calls it, emphasizes addressing the broad spectrum of health and lifestyle effects that diabetes can have on a patient.

Whittier’s Diabetes Center of Excellence offers patients a walk-in dental and eye clinic, medical group visits, support groups, educational classes and even field trips to provide an expanded knowledge of diabetes control, an array of services that Drews noted “is something that is not necessarily available in other practices, such as hospitals.”

“Whittier is fully focused on making our patients self-sufficient. We supply them with knowledge of what they can do at home to control this chronic disease, and we provide the support services and primary care to assist in their treatment. Our patients have a great understanding of how diabetes affects their bodies. This really goes a long way in making them feel included in their treatment,” Drews said.

Fostering that feeling of inclusion is particularly important for diabetes patients because, as Drews said, “there isn’t one piece of advice” that holds the answer for every patient.

“Diet and exercise are the cornerstone of both treatment and prevention of diabetes for everyone, but diabetics are best served by personalized, individual self-management plans,” he continued.

Still, all experts agree that preventing type 2 diabetes is easier than treating the disease. Drews recommends a healthy diet that includes multiple servings of fruits and vegetables, while excluding an excess of sugary foods. Regular exercise is also extremely helpful in controlling weight, which is a major risk factor in developing diabetes.

Finally, Drews recommends regular screenings and testing of blood sugar levels, particularly if diabetes runs in the family. Whittier offers blood sugar level testing to its patients, as well as access to the Diabetes Center of Excellence. To make an appointment at Whittier, call 617-989-3012.