ALTON, IL -- If you or a loved one has diabetes, or you’re at risk for diabetes, then don’t miss the 10th annual Diabetes Fair on Saturday, Aug. 28, at Alton Memorial Hospital. The free event, sponsored by the hospital’s Diabetes Management Center, runs from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Beeby Wing lobby.

The fair will include approximately 25 booths that feature the latest information about diabetes medications, treatments and medical equipment. Guest can also talk with representatives from the American Diabetes Association and ask questions of diabetes educators and dietitians.

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In conjunction with this year’s fair is a series of health screenings that will take place in Alton Memorial’s Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine, just down the hall from the lobby. The package of screenings costs $10 (checks payable to Alton Memorial Hospital), space is limited and guests must schedule an appointment in advance by calling 1-800-392-0936. Screenings include a blood glucose check, A1C screenings and foot screenings, plus a consultation with Judy Mayhew, diabetes educator at AMH.

Dr. James Lieber, an Alton optometrist active with the Godfrey Lions Club, will provide free diabetic retinopathy screenings in the lobby. No appointments are required.

The Diabetes Fair will feature two presentations in the Cafeteria Conference Rooms. At 10 a.m., Joshua Moyer, a chef in the AMH cafeteria, will show some healthy recipes for diabetics. At 11:30 a.m., Dr. Julio Leey, an endocrinologist who just joined the AMH staff this summer, will discuss ways to prevent the onset of diabetes.

Subway will serve a free boxed meal in the hospital cafeteria beginning at 11 a.m. The meals are available first to those who pre-register for the fair; walk-ins will be served if there are enough meals available. Those who pre-register will receive a lunch ticket when they sign in at registration; walk-ins will receive a lunch ticket of a different color and must wait until most or all of the pre-registered guests have been served. To register for the fair, call 1-800-392-0936.

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All fairgoers are asked to enter Alton Memorial Hospital’s new Duncan Wing and follow signs to the fair registration at the end of the Duncan Wing’s main corridor on the ground floor. Sign-in for the $10 screening package is separate and will be done by the Wound Care Center entrance after entering the fair.

According to the American Diabetes Association, the number of Americans with diabetes increased by 61 percent during the 1990s, and nearly a quarter of Americans 60 and older have diabetes. Almost 240,000 deaths in 2005 listed diabetes as a contributor, and diabetes is likely to be underreported as a cause of death.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body does not produce any insulin, most often occurring in children and young adults. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body’s inability to make enough, or properly use, insulin. This form of the disease is associated with older age, obesity, family history, physical inactivity and race/ethnicity.

For more information, contact Dave Whaley

Senior Coordinator, Public Relations

(618) 433-7947 • drw5445@bjc.org

www.altonmemorialhospital.org

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