New Partnership Raising Health Awareness
A new partnership is raising health awareness in Barry and Calhoun counties. The Salvation Army in Battle Creek recently hosted a free diabetes screening with the Cereal City Sunrise Rotary Club and Ascension Borgess Hospital.
The event was held Friday, October 13th, at The Salvation Army, located at 400 N.E. Capital Avenue in Battle Creek. The screenings were done by medical staff with Ascension Borgess Diabetes and Endocrine Center. More than 40 people, including Salvation Army clients were tested. Several people had high glucose levels and were scheduled for treatment.
“We have RN’s here and certified diabetes educators to help,” said Cassey Ribble the Operations Manager at Ascension Borgess. “We also have clinics that can help the uninsured.”
According to The American Diabetes Association, diabetes will affect one in three people in the next 20 years and that is a conservative estimate, since many people don’t even know they may be diabetic.
"Calhoun County is at the top of the list in Michigan for the incidence of diabetes and [is] one of the most at-risk areas in the Midwest," said Rotary board member T.R. Shaw. “The rotary is proud to lead the effort locally and regionally in addressing the many issues surrounding diabetes and believes we can make substantial headway in dealing with this health care epidemic.”
Shaw said that once awareness is raised, the club hopes to move on to other areas, including working with health care providers and advocating for more awareness, funding, and research.
To learn more about The Salvation Army of Battle Creek you can follow them on Facebook or go to https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/BattleCreek.