Woodland Memorial Hospital Kicks-Off Free Spanish Diabetes Classes for the Community
Sacramento, Calif. (February 13, 2020) – Diabetes is a leading cause of death across the state of California and disproportionately affects minority populations. In an effort to increase prevention and curb the rate of those affected by this chronic disease, Woodland Memorial Hospital in partnership with the Holy Rosary Catholic Church and the City of Woodland are relaunching free Spanish diabetes classes – open to all of the community.
A 2017 University of California, Los Angeles study found 55 percent of the state’s adult population was either diabetic or had prediabetes (elevated sugar levels but not quite yet diabetes). In Yolo County, the report showed four percent were officially diagnosed with the chronic condition but a whopping 44 percent were said to have prediabetes. In the city of Woodland, the prevalence of diabetes comes in part from the city’s population make-up as a predominantly Latino community, which is one of the top ethnic groups most at-risk.
“We serve a diverse ethnic population, and knowing that prevention is key with a chronic disease like diabetes, it is our responsibility to provide education regarding nutrition and physical activity in a way that is most relevant to the cultures in our community,” said Woodland Memorial Hospital Community Health Educator, Herman Varela. “We are so excited to launch these classes in Spanish to help increase health literacy in this community because that in turn results in people becoming more action-oriented toward prevention.”
The program which originally began in 2005, has now been reimagined with the creation of strategic partnerships – like the City of Woodland – a new class schedule structure and add on components like a micro-farmers market.
“The Woodland Community and Senior Center is thrilled to continue its partnership with Dignity Health to offer yet another educational program that will benefit the broader community, including older adults,” said Dallas Tringali, Community Services Program Manager. “It’s important to us that our program offerings reflect the community which we serve. We are proud to be a part of a network of community organizations that provide wellness opportunities for our Spanish-speaking population!”
The class schedule has been revamped to better accommodate community members availability. Additional details below.
Spanish Diabetes Education Meet-Ups
First Thursday of the Month @ 1:30 to 3 p.m. OR 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Woodland Community and Senior Center
2001 East Street, Woodland
For more information on the program please call Herman Varela (Speaks Spanish) at (530) 669-5531.
About Dignity Health
Dignity Health, one of the nation’s largest health care systems, is a multi-state network of 10,000 physicians, more than 60,000 employees, 41 acute care hospitals, and 400-plus care-centers including neighborhood hospitals, urgent care, surgery and imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics. Headquartered in San Francisco, Dignity Health is dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care with special attention to the poor and underserved. In FY 2019, Dignity Health provided more than $1.1 billion in patient financial assistance, unreimbursed costs of Medicaid, community health improvement services, and other community benefits. For more information, please visit our website at www.dignityhealth.org.
Publish date:
Thursday, February 13, 2020