Manage Your Diabetes with Self-Management Diabetes Classes at Community Health Alliance

Learn how to manage your diabetes to live a healthier life.

Alejandra Falconi: Hello! Thanks for tuning in. We will continue talking about diabetes and how it affects us with our guests, Annalissa from Community Health Alliance and Michael from Sanford Center for Aging at the University of Nevada, Reno. You were going to tell us that we can attend some workshops. Tell us about that.

Michael Gonzalez: We are going to start diabetes self-management workshops. Starting March 6 for seven weeks through April 17. The workshops will be at Community Health Alliance at their Sun Valley Health Center. The address is 5055 Sun Valley Blvd. The workshop helps with managing emotions, how to balance eating and physical activity. We are going to talk about how to plan for the future. So different important things that impact our lives. It’s not just that you might not feel well, but the bad habits one has. If you’re sad, you’re more likely to go out and eat unhealthy food. In these workshops, we offer different tools so that people can manage their diabetes.

Alejandra Falconi: People need follow-up and help. It’s fascinating about what you said on emotions because I also get stressed and I eat. Michael, would you say that nutrition and exercise should go together, or can you concentrate on one only?

Michael Gonzalez: They are both very important. You can’t exercise enough to beat a bad diet, and it’s also hard to just have a good diet without exercise. The two together give you more power and control over managing your diabetes and preventing it.

Alejandra Falconi: Do all these workshops have a cost?

Michael Gonzalez: No, these courses are free. They are for the community. It’s for anyone to register 18 and older. We invite everyone in the community to attend.

Alejandra Falconi: It’s good that we can attend to help change our habits. Michael and Annalissa, do you have something else you would like to add?

Annalissa Santoemma: We have three pharmacies in the community, and they have insulin for your diabetes. We also have three prescription food pantries for our patients.

Alejandra Falconi: How nice to have access to these resources as well.

Annalissa Santoemma: Yes!

Alejandra Falconi: Michael, any advice for people who say, “I am not motivated to go?”

Michael Gonzalez: Yes, you can! If you feel a little bit of motivation, it’s time for you to take action. If anyone is interested in the workshops, they can register.

Alejandra Falconi: Finally, I am going to ask you why you are focusing on the Latino community. Is it important to Community Health Alliance and the University of Nevada, Reno?

Michael Gonzalez: Yes, we want to bring more programs to the community. There are already many in the English language. We started with the diabetes programs first and diabetes prevention for people who have an interest in that. We want to expand from there, but there are a lot of Latinos who haven’t had that opportunity. They don’t know about those programs, and we want all the people to know that we are here. The workshops are free, please take advantage, especially if you want to feel better.

Alejandra Falconi: We hope that our viewers will be part of these courses. Thank you so much for offering these. We hope you will join us again.

Michael Gonzalez and Annalissa Santoemma: Thank you!

To register for the Diabetes Self-Management Program, please contact Annalissa Santoemmna at (775) 852-6702. If you would like to make an an appointment at Community Health Alliance, call (775) 329-6300 or pre-register online.