Sande Quattlebaum, program director for Desert Regional Medical Center’s Joslin Diabetes Center
New affiliation brings physicians and their patients the benefits of a team approach based on some of the latest research. Desert Regional Medical Center has partnered with the world-renowned Joslin Diabetes Center to become one of only two centers on the West Coast offering Joslin’s comprehensive clinical approach to diabetes care.
“Joslin is not as well known on the West Coast as it is in the East,” said Sande (Rowlee) Quattlebaum, MS, RN, ACNP-BC, program director for Desert Regional Medical Center’s Joslin Diabetes Center, “but it’s as prestigious a name as the Mayo or Cleveland clinics. Joslin is a very well-respected teaching and research organization, and is affiliated with Harvard Medical School.” Currently there are 46 Joslin affiliates worldwide including centers in 17 states and three international locations.
Desert Regional Medical Center has long been known for its diabetes education program, and the partnership with Joslin enhances DRMC’s position as the Desert’s leading resource on diabetes. The mission of the Joslin Diabetes Center and its affiliates is “To improve the lives of people with diabetes and its complications through innovative care, education, and research that will lead to prevention and cure of the disease.”
“This new affiliation will streamline our diabetes program and elevate it by offering patient education materials and protocols which were developed by the world leader in diabetes treatment,” said Quattlebaum. “Joslin has created the template for exemplary diabetes care and we are proud to offer this comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to patients at Desert Regional.”
Desert Regional Medical Center received its Joslin affiliate status this past August and will open the newly remodeled clinic in its Stergios Building in early 2012.
While the finishing touches are being completed on the remodel of the Stergios Building to house the Joslin Diabetes Center, the newly-structured education classes have been in progress since this past October. “Diabetes Today” – a sequenced series of four classes, based on medical guidelines by the renowned physicians and researchers at Joslin, is offered to help patients manage their diabetes. Classes include: First Steps, What Can I Eat?, Foods that Fit, and Exercise Basics.
As part of the remodel, the first floor of the Stergios Building will include a dedicated area for diabetes education as well as clinical office space, making it convenient for patients to meet with diabetes educators following their appointment – all within the same facility. The community gym has also been expanded and upgraded with the latest exercise equipment.
The Stergios Building also will continue to house the Bariatric Surgery Program offices. For Quattlebaum who dually serves as manager of the Bariatric Program and as program director of the Joslin Diabetes Center, the move is just a few feet away, but she now wears a wider brimmed hat.
As many bariatric patients also have diabetes, the two programs often intertwine, so it makes for easy referral from one program to the other right under the same roof.
For more information about the Joslin Diabetes Center at Desert Regional Medical Center, or to request a referral form for the group education classes, please call (760) 323-6881.
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