Community Health

Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | 308-254-5825 x1819

Community Health

The SRMC Community Health department offers a variety of supportive programs for our region. A general list of the services available include the following:

  • Blood Pressure Screenings and Education
    • Onsite Screenings Available
  • Community Health Education
  • Community Immunization Clinics
  • Life-Assist Alerts
  • Nutrition Services
  • Pre-employment Screenings
    • Department of Transportation Physicals
    • Drug Screening (DOT and non-DOT)
    • Hearing Screening
    • Lift Testing
    • Physicals
    • Pulmonary Function Testing/Respiratory Mask Fit
  • Seasonal Flu Vaccinations for Businesses and Communities
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Community Health

Community Outreach Programs

The Workplace Wellness Program is designed for those who operate on tight schedules. Our SRMC representative(s) can visit your business onsite and provide a variety of services for your employees:

  • Blood Pressure Screenings and Education
  • Occupational Hearing Screens
  • Onsite Business Health Fairs
  • Vaccinations (Hepatitis B, Flu, Tdap, and TB testing)

 

Sidney Regional Medical Center provides onsite Health & Wellness Fairs and/or presentations for surrounding organizations and communities. SRMC will provide an educational and interactive event centered around your organization and your employee’s health. This is a fun and impactful way to show your employees that you care for their health. Let one of our skilled team members address a specific health topic with your group. With hundreds of health-related topics that vary anywhere from nutrition and exercise to heart health. Some of the services you can choose from include:

  • Blood pressure screenings
  • Blood screenings
  • Body Mass Index (BMI)
  • Immunizations (including Flu shots)

 

Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) are located under Required Regulatory Postings.

Nutrition Services

If you have diabetes, want to lose weight, or are eager to join our Diabetes Education Program, then you’ve come to the right place! Our diabetes educators consist of our nurse educator, dietitian, and pharmacists who will work with your health care provider to make sure you understand your diabetes and the tools and knowledge to manage your Type 1, Type 2, or gestational diabetes. This program does NOT replace your provider, but rather provides support and education to enhance your self-management regimen for diabetes.

Whether you just learned you have diabetes or you’ve lived with it for years, the more you know about your condition, the better you’ll be able to control it and enjoy a healthy life.

Sidney Regional Medical Center’s Diabetes Education Program offers you the educational resources to help you successfully manage your diabetes and reduce the risk of complications. Our diabetes educators provide an extensive range of individual and group education.

The SRMC Diabetes Education Program is recognized by the American Diabetes Association and is approved by Medicare.

The Diabetes Education Program covers the following:

  • Patient assessment (prior knowledge/perception of diabetes)
  • Glucose monitoring
  • Medications and their effectiveness
  • Nutritional management
  • Importance of physical activity in controlling blood sugars and weight management
  • Managing sick days and diabetes
  • Acute complications (hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia)
  • Long-term complications of diabetes and how to minimize or prevent them
  • Setting behavioral goals for nutrition, physical activity, or weight management

If you are interested in receiving diabetes education, please contact your provider for a referral.

SRMC is proud to offer the National Diabetes Prevention Program, which is an approved lifestyle change program FREE for individuals who qualify. Through this program, individuals will learn to make achievable and realistic lifestyle changes. Our dietitian will educate individuals on eating healthy, incorporating physical activity into daily routines, managing stress, and solving problems that get in the way of health changes.

In order to qualify for this program, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Be 18 years of age or older
  • Be overweight
  • Have risks of developing diabetes or currently have prediabetes
  • Were clinically diagnosed with gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy

Pre-Diabetes

Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have “prediabetes” — blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Doctors sometimes refer to prediabetes as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), depending on what test was used when it was detected. This condition puts you at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. The body breaks down the sugars and starches you eat into a simple sugar called glucose, which it uses for energy. Insulin is a hormone that the body needs to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children can learn to manage their condition and live long, healthy lives.

Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is a problem with your body that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal. This is also called hyperglycemia. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. If you have type 2 diabetes your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time it isn’t able to keep up and can’t make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels.

Type 3 Diabetes

During pregnancy – usually around the 24th week – many women develop gestational diabetes. A diagnosis of gestational diabetes doesn’t mean that you had diabetes before you conceived or that you will have diabetes after giving birth. But it’s important to follow your doctor’s advice regarding blood glucose levels while you’re planning your pregnancy, so you and your baby both remain healthy.

  • In 2021, 38.4 million Americans had diabetes.  
  • 7 million Americans were undiagnosed (22.6%).  
  • Every year 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes.
  • In 2021, another 97.6 million American adults (18+) had prediabetes.  
  • Diabetes is the 8th leading cause of death in the United States in 2021.  
  • On average a diagnosed American has $14,000 in medical costs each year.

If you are looking to manage your weight by implementing a healthy diet, speak with our dietitian about your options.

Sitting down with a dietitian to create strategies to reach your health goals can be a huge benefit to your overall health plan created with your provider. Dietitians work with your current healthcare team to determine a nutrition plan that will help you succeed in improving your health. They are trained to help with a wide variety of health concerns including weight management, diet changes, allergies, gastric concerns, and so much more.  Please ask your provider to send a referral to a dietitian to get started.

Check with your health insurance to guarantee nutrition counseling is covered under your plan.  Diabetes and kidney disease education are usually covered.

Deeona Wernsman, MA, RDN, LMNT

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Dani Loomis, MS, RDN, LMNT

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Types of Diabetes

Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have “prediabetes” — blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Doctors sometimes refer to prediabetes as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), depending on what test was used when it was detected. This condition puts you at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. The body breaks down the sugars and starches you eat into a simple sugar called glucose, which it uses for energy. Insulin is a hormone that the body needs to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children can learn to manage their condition and live long, healthy lives.

Diabetes is a problem with your body that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal. This is also called hyperglycemia. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. If you have type 2 diabetes your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time it isn’t able to keep up and can’t make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels.

During pregnancy – usually around the 24th week – many women develop gestational diabetes. A diagnosis of gestational diabetes doesn’t mean that you had diabetes before you conceived or that you will have diabetes after giving birth. But it’s important to follow your doctor’s advice regarding blood glucose levels while you’re planning your pregnancy, so you and your baby both remain healthy.