Mercy Medical Center Forms Partnership with Joslin Diabetes Center
To meet the growing demand of diabetes patients in our community, Mercy Medical Center , 701 10th St. SE , is joining in a partnership with Joslin Diabetes Center , an affiliate of Harvard Medical School .
The affiliation means Mercy patients will now have access to some of the leading global resources in diabetes management. The partnership will allow Mercy to serve patients with more efficiency, have access to a peer network of similar organizations and patient profiles, expand current services and provide more specialized education and care.
Currently, nearly one in ten American adults has diabetes. If present trends continue, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that one of every three Americans born today will develop diabetes in their lifetime. The Iowa Department of Public Health reports a 43 percent increase in people diagnosed with diabetes from 1990 to 2000.
Crawford Diabetes Services at Mercy, one of only eight facilities of its kind in Iowa , has led the education and treatment of diabetes patients in the area since its establishment in 1986. It serves as a crucial source of information for eastern Iowans living with diabetes.
Joslin, headquartered in Boston , Massachusetts , partners with health care organizations and provides innovative research and pioneering approaches to education and clinical care of diabetes and its complications.
Mercy’s diabetes education program earned national certification from the ADA in 1989, providing a solid foundation from which to build.
Crawford Diabetes Services Medical Director Dr. Charles J. Pruchno says, “The affiliation with Joslin, the preeminent national leader in diabetes management and care will take Mercy’s diabetes center to a new level in diabetes education and management. Joslin will provide additional resources for education and a framework for transforming Mercy’s center into a diabetes treatment facility.”
Mercy will partner with Joslin to create an “education model.” The model will provide a proven structure to integrate with Mercy’s current level of services to deliver care consistent with other successful Joslin-affiliated organizations.
In the future, as the center grows and needs of the community advance, Mercy will look to utilize Joslin’s “medical model.” This model is a more advanced plan that includes a comprehensive center offering services in all areas of diabetes management, including eye care, foot care and other related specialties in addition to the current services offered.
“The end goal is to offer a one-stop-shop, where we serve as an education and prevention source for our patients with diabetes, but also provide specific clinical expertise drawn from the most advanced treatment options available,” says Jane Feldmann, coordinator of the diabetes education program at Mercy.
To learn more about Mercy’s diabetes education program, call 319-398-6711 or visit mercycare.org.
