SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – More than 30 million adults in the U.S. have diabetes and another 84 million have a condition called prediabetes. Unfortunately, the numbers are growing.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that impairs the body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin. It results in excess sugar in the blood. If you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin, has a hard time using the insulin it does make, or both.

In recognition of National Diabetes Awareness month, Regional West health care providers encourage adults to have their blood sugar levels checked annually and to know the signs and symptoms of this chronic disease. The three main symptoms of diabetes are increased thirst, increased hunger, and increased urination.

Health care providers also encourage those who have diabetes or prediabetes to know their blood sugar numbers.

“Blood sugar numbers show how well diabetes is managed,” said Mayda Zimmerman, APRN-NP, NP-C, “By closely monitoring your numbers, you can better control your blood sugar throughout the day, and reduce the chance of having serious health problems.”

Regional West offers a variety of resources for people affected by diabetes, including medical care, education, and support through the Diabetes Care Center.

Regional West diabetes care professionals include two board-certified endocrinologists who provide telehealth care through the University of Nebraska Medical Center: Leslie Eiland, MD and Padmaja Akkireddy, MBBS; two nurse practitioners who specialize in diabetes care: Mayda Zimmerman APRN-NP-C, and Laura Perry DNP, APRN-BC; dietitian Ellen Burbank, RD; and registered nurse and diabetes educator Jason Beals, RN.

The Diabetes Care Center offers a free educational diabetes seminar for people with diabetes and their friends and family the first Thursday of each month.  Additional information is available on the Regional West Facebook page under Events.

For more information about diabetes resources at Regional West or to check your risk for diabetes, click here.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 in-network providers, and 2,000 employees, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.