PINEHURST — On Oct. 27, the North Carolina Diabetes Advisory Council held a ceremony to honor heroes in the fight against diabetes. The DAC Awards recognize individuals and organizations who encourage diabetes prevention and self-management through promotion of eating healthy, being physically active, living tobacco free, getting adequate sleep and participating in a diabetes program or adhering to a personalized diabetes treatment plan.
Pinehurst Medical Clinic was awarded the NCDAC’s Health Care Provider Award. The award recognizes a hospital, clinic, health care organization, or person in the health care field who has provided support in one or more of the areas highlighted in North Carolina’s Guide to Diabetes Prevention and Management.
Brandon Enfinger, PMC CEO, said it is an honor to receive this award.
“As the only diabetes program accredited by the American Diabetes Association in Moore County, PMC’s DSMES program is committed to continual development, and collaboration with multiple PMC departments including Endocrinology, Chronic and Transitional Care Management, Acute Care Coordination, and Primary Care to ensure patients are provided with the care and tools they need to live out their best life”, he said. “The NCDAC Health Care Provider Award is a reflection of our quality of care and the excellent assistance and educational resources we make available to patients.”
Prediabetes is a condition where people have higher than normal glucose (sugar) levels, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
It is estimated that in 2020 over 3.5 million North Carolinians have prediabetes. Approximately 12.1% of North Carolinians being told that they had prediabetes, 1 the actual prevalence may be as much as three times higher than this, since more than 80% of people who have prediabetes are not aware that they have condition.
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a chronic condition in which the body either does not make any insulin or becomes resistant to insulin resulting in a relative deficiency of insulin. Insulin carries glucose or sugar into the cells so it can be stored for energy. In Type 2 diabetes, the liver produces too much glucose which leads to excess glucose levels in the blood.
It is projected that 12.5% of the state’s population, or 1.3 million North Carolinians, have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. There has been more than a 33% increase in the percentage of people diagnosed with diabetes in North Carolina in the past decade.
Linda Parsons, Moore County Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, shared what the program and recognition mean to the community.
“When a community has an active diabetes education program, it plays a critical role in improving the population health of our community,” she said. “PMC is an organization that empowers others, stands high on integrity, and will find ways to ensure the health of its people within the company and community are a priority.”
Created in 1988, the DAC partners with stakeholders to reduce the burden of diabetes in North Carolina. The group meets three times each year to promote training, discuss new service priority areas and interventions, foster collaboration, and propose strategies for the prevention and management of diabetes.
For more information on the DAC, visit diabetesnc.com/diabetes-advisory-council .
