Mobile Diabetes Center Takes Screening on the Road
Nebraska Methodist College – The Josie Harper Campus (NMC) staff and students are hitting the road and taking diabetes screening to a new level. The Mobile Diabetes Center will make its debut this month, allowing NMC to expand its community outreach efforts while raising diabetes awareness.
The Mobile Diabetes Center is the result of collaboration between NMC and the Cosmopolitan Cornbelt Diabetes Connection (CDC). The goal of the CDC is to provide health care and education about diabetes and related complications to communities and individuals that may not have adequate access to such care or information. This is in direct correlation to NMC’s goals, which are to serve and impact the health and well-being of Greater Omaha.
The Mobile Diabetes Center is a custom-built, 36-foot refurbished recreational vehicle (RV). The unit is comprised of three rooms for screening, foot care and full examinations. The CDC provides the driver, the supplies, maintenance and storage of the unit. NMC is responsible for staffing and scheduling.
All services provided at the mobile unit are free of charge. Visitors will have access to blood pressure screenings, blood glucose screenings, eye examinations, height/weight/BMI measurements, diabetes prevention education and cholesterol screenings.
According to the American Diabetes Association 25.8 million children and adults in the United States – 8.3 percent of the population – have diabetes. A total of 1.9 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010, while 7 million people go undiagnosed. These figures stress the importance of screening and proper education.
“There are so many ways we can focus our students and the community on the care and issues surrounding diabetes,” said Kristin Mattson, Ph.D., director of the Center for Health Partnerships (CfHP) at NMC. “The mobile unit is a great opportunity for us to bring awareness to those in need, while also providing screening opportunities directly in their neighborhoods.”
Other upcoming screening locations include the Omaha Housing Authority, Senior Towers, Open Door Mission, Intercultural Senior Center, Mexican Consulate, local churches, schools, shopping centers and senior centers. An ongoing calendar listing will keep the public abreast of upcoming stops.
“Our target is certainly the underserved population, but we want to seek out general community partnerships as well,” Mattson said.
For more information email Mobile.DiabetesCenter@methodistcollege.edu.
