Stronger Together

BROWN COUNTY – The Brown County Diabetes Coalition will host an event March 4 to spread awareness for diabetes care and prevention.

Stronger Together: Diabetes Wellness Event is an annual event that brings together education, resources and support for people with diabetes.

Michelle Erdmann, a caregiver and dementia and prevention manager at the Brown County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), said that the coalition includes various community organizations alongside ADRC, such as health systems, public health, pharmacies, grocery store dieticians and retired physicians, and each organization will help support people with diabetes.

“It’s a combination of speakers, we have a healthy lunch, you know, things like that,” Erdmann said. “I think one of the most appealing things about this event is the type of quality education that people are going to get. We have nutrition, education and exercise. There’s one of our healthcare professionals [that] is going to present the mental health challenges you can have with a chronic condition, and that’s really important.”

The Brown County Diabetes Coalition will also have shopping tips and tricks with one of their dietitians and all the latest in glucose monitoring systems.

Erdmann said she hopes people make it a one-stop shop for diabetes education, information and resources, as the event is appropriate for anybody who is pre-diabetic, diabetic or a caregiver to someone who is diabetic.

“It is really important to manage your diabetes, because if you don’t, you can have very serious health risks that come out of that,” Erdmann warned. “If you’re not managing your diabetes, you can have kidney issues, neurological issues and circulation issues. If it goes unmanaged and uncontrolled, very serious issues, like dialysis or limb amputation, can occur, so this disease must be managed.”

“You have to be physically active — it makes a huge difference in how your insulin is managed and controlled,” Erdmann said. “Mental health management is very important. The reason we hold events like this is to help people become more confident in their ability to manage their diabetes because if you’re more confident, you’re going to stay on track.”

The Brown County Diabetes Coalition’s goal is to inform and educate the community on all of the resources for diabetes that are out there.

They are trying to spread information throughout the community so they can touch as many people as possible and make people aware that there’s support for diabetes.

This coalition-driven event is asking for an open mind and a willingness to learn from those who are interested in attending.

To register, call the ADRC at (920) 448-4300.