Duke Endowment grant provides recipe for diabetes prevention

Palmetto Health has received a $270,000 grant from The Duke Endowment to expand its Diabetes Prevention Program.

The funding will allow the hospital system to enroll more participants and increase its community outreach. The hospital reports that 64 percent of patients who complete the program have shown measurable improvements linked to reducing the overall risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.

“We’re changing lives with this program,” said Ava Dean, manager of the Diabetes Prevention Program. “We’ve seen patients who are able to make their lives better and prevent the onset of this disease. Since diabetes statistics in South Carolina are alarming, we want to do everything that we can to help community members not have to deal with the consequences of diabetes.”

Through Palmetto Health’s Diabetes Prevention Program, potential participants are screened, diagnosed and identified as having prediabetes. Patients are assessed before being placed into the Diabetes Prevention Program. Once enrolled, they receive extensive education about eating healthy, exercising and making better food choices in social settings.

For more information about this program, contact the Palmetto Health Office of Community Health at (803) 296-3070.

Amazon donation aids hunger relief

Amazon recently donated $10,000 to Harvest Hope Food Bank to support local hunger relief efforts.

The donation came after a survey conducted with Amazon’s South Carolina employees who voted to donate to support a local hunger relief organization.

The donation will sponsor two signature Harvest Hope events, including the annual Extra Mile Hunger Run that was held earlier this month and its HOPE NOW fundraising luncheon, set for September in Greenville.

“Harvest Hope is honored and greatly appreciative that Amazon’s staff has chosen to help our mission to bring meals to struggling families,” said Harvest Hope CEO Denise Holland. “By sponsoring events such as The Extra Mile Hunger Run, they are providing a greater opportunity for others to join together and enjoy great community activities, while helping gather meals that will reduce hunger in South Carolina.”

Last year’s Extra Mile Hunger Run helped provide more than 70,000 meals.

This story was originally published July 31, 2015 at 5:57 PM.