Joslin Diabetes Center’s Newest Affiliate at Doctors Community Hospital in Lanham, MD, Holds Grand Opening
BOSTON — September 16, 2005 — Joslin Diabetes Center, the world leader in diabetes research, education and care, announces its affiliation with Doctors Community Hospital in Lanham, MD. The Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at Doctors Community Hospital offers the latest advances for treating diabetes and its complications as well as patient education and support services. The grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new center were held Sept. 14.
“This is the most significant health care development to occur in Prince George’s County in years. We are bringing a nationally renowned program of diabetes treatment to Prince George’s County. Diabetes is a major disease affecting our citizens at a rate that exceeds both state and national norms. If not properly treated, it can be life threatening and debilitating,” says Philip Down, President, Doctors Community Hospital.
Joslin Diabetes Center is an independent nonprofit organization affiliated with Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. The Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at Doctors Community Hospital is located on the hospital’s main campus and offers diabetes education, diagnosis, treatment and support services.
“More than 18 million Americans have diabetes, which is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. While approximately 13 million of these adults and children have been diagnosed with diabetes, over 5 million of them are estimated to have type 2 diabetes and not know it,” said John W. Hare, M.D., Director of Joslin’s Affiliated Centers Program. “In addition, an estimated 41 million people in the United States have pre-diabetes, or higher than normal blood glucose levels, but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Diabetes can lead to many medical complications, including heart attack, stroke, blindness, nerve damage, kidney failure and poor circulation,” he continued. “We look forward to working with the professionals at Doctors Community Hospital to bring Joslin’s integrated, state-of-the-art care to people with diabetes and related conditions in the region.”
This multidisciplinary program includes the services of an endocrinologist, a registered nurse who is a Certified Diabetes Educator, a registered dietitian who is a nutrition educator, an exercise specialist, and will shortly include psychosocial support to help address the required lifestyle changes. The medical director, Karl B. Finley, M.D., a resident of Bowie, completed a three-year fellowship in diabetes at the National Institutes of Health.
Special guests and speakers at the grand opening included Maryland’s Secretary of Health Anthony McCann; President of the Senate Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.; Senators Ulysses Currie and Paul Pinsky; Maryland State Delegates Joanne Benson, Tawanna Gaines, Anne Healey; Prince George’s County Council Chairman Samuel Dean and County Council Members Douglas J. J. Peters and Thomas Hendershot; Elaine Sullivan of Joslin’s Affiliated Programs office in Boston and many others.
For more information about Joslin Diabetes Center at Doctors Community Hospital or to make an appointment, please call (301) 552-8661 or visit http://www.dchweb.org/.
About Joslin’s Affiliated Programs
Joslin Diabetes Center currently has Affiliated Programs in 24 facilities throughout the United States and in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Patients receiving care at Joslin Affiliates benefit from the expertise of the Joslin staff. The Affiliates receive regularly scheduled visits from and participate in conferences with members of the Joslin healthcare team.
