As the number of Mississippians developing diabetes steadily increases, the need for healthcare professionals equipped with the most up-to-date tools to help these Mississippians has also grown. That is why the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi sponsors a Continuing Medical Education symposium annually for healthcare providers around the state.
We believe that one of the most important keys to assisting patients with diabetes is a well-educated and trained health professional.
Diabetes on Call (D.O.C.) is a free-to-the-public, statewide educational referral program providing one-on-one counseling along with FREE educational material. Education is vital to understanding diabetes and self-management of the disease.
Camp Kandu, held twice a year at the Twin Lakes Conference Center in Florence, MS, offers children with diabetes, as well as their parents, siblings, and even their friends, the opportunity to have fun while learning to take charge of diabetes. The camp is free for children with diabetes, and parents and siblings pay only a small fee. Through the generosity of others, the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi is able to host children with diabetes to Camp Kandu as well as offer scholarships to other diabetes camps.
The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi works with families of children with diabetes, schools and daycare programs around Mississippi to ensure that everyone understands basic diabetes management and emergency treatment of low or high blood glucose. Our “Sweet Subject School Diabetes Education Program” has trained hundreds of school and daycare staff about managing diabetes when the child or teen is away from home. Several federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) protect students with diabetes while at school or daycare.
The 504 plan is an agreement worked out with the student, parents/guardians, teachers and other school personnel, and if needed, the district administration, to make sure that everyone involved knows their roles and responsibilities in assuring the safety and education of the student. All public and private schools and daycare receiving federal funds are covered by this law.
The American Disabilities Act (ADA) also covers the student with diabetes. The ADA covers all public schools and all private schools except those run by religious institutions. (If the religious institution receives federal funds, it is also covered).
The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi is here to help make the transition from diagnosis of diabetes to part of daily life as smooth as possible. We are here to help educate schools, daycares, and work places to become more aware of the needs of those with diabetes. Through our advocacy, we have been able to help make the change to a new normal much easier.
Help is here for Mississippians with diabetes!
Thanks to a joint effort of the Mississippi Legislature, the State Tax Commission and the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, our license plate was launched in August of 2002 for people with diabetes. The DFM’s car tag helps alert law enforcement personnel when a driver may be experiencing a hypoglycemic episode and, consequently, driving erratically. The diabetes license plate signals to emergency personnel that the driver has diabetes, which, ultimately, could help save a life.
The license plate is available only to Mississippi drivers with diabetes. The plate has the DFM’s logo on it and says “Defeat Diabetes.”
There is no additional charge beyond your regular registration, taxes, and fees for the license plates if the car title is in the name of the driver who has diabetes. However, if the title is in someone else’s name, but the person with diabetes is the primary driver of the car, there is a charge of $38.00 for a diabetes license plate. Car tag prices may vary depending on the county.
The Mississippi driver’s license for drivers with diabetes has a purple star on the bottom of the license, indicating that the driver has diabetes. There is also a space on the license to list whether the individual is insulin dependent or takes oral medications.
Forms:
Fillable Diabetes Tag Application to save to your computer
Download a copy of the Diabetes Tag and Driver’s License letter
The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi provides a free in-service program to all law enforcement officials statewide. Law enforcement officials receive training on how to recognize diabetic emergencies and how to respond to the driver’s actions. In addition, law enforcement personnel are educated on hypoglycemia.
The program also aims to inform the law enforcement personnel about medic-alert identification, diabetes license plates and special coded driver’s licenses, as well as different diabetes medications and supplies and the symptoms of hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic episodes.
Is it drinking, drugs, or diabetes? Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) symptoms often mimic impairment caused by alcohol or drugs because the brain is not receiving the fuel it needs to operate properly. There are cases where individuals have been incarcerated for “drunk driving” when they should have been hospitalized.
To avoid a tragic error, check for:
Warning signs of low blood sugar:
Give patients glucose gel and transport to nearest emergency room. Half a can of regular soda can be given if no gel is available and if patient is able to swallow.
Pre-diabetes is a term used to distinguish people who have higher than normal blood glucose levels, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Progression to diabetes among those with pre-diabetes is not inevitable. Studies suggest weight loss (even just 5%) and increased physical activity among people with pre-diabetes prevents or delays diabetes and may return blood glucose levels to normal.
If you are overweight, physically inactive, and have a family history of diabetes, you may be at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
To learn more about pre-diabetes and to see if you may be at risk for developing diabetes, visit this site.
Some women develop gestational diabetes late in pregnancy. Although this form of diabetes usually disappears after the birth of the baby, women who have had gestational diabetes have a 20 to 50 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years. Maintaining a reasonable body weight and being physically active may help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.
Three to eight percent of pregnant women in the United States develop gestational diabetes. As with type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes occurs more often in some ethnic groups and among women with a family history of diabetes. Gestational diabetes is caused by the hormones of pregnancy or a shortage of insulin. Women with gestational diabetes may not experience any symptoms.
The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. 90-95 percent of people diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is most often associated with genetics and lifestyle, and has even been nicknamed a “disease of lifestyles.”
In type 2 diabetes, there is a problem with the action of insulin. The pancreas becomes insulin resistant. This usually occurs with excess weight and physical inactivity. Type 2 diabetes has a higher inheritance risk than type 1 diabetes.
Common factors that are associated with type 2 diabetes include:
Type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in children and adolescents, and if current trends continue, one in three children will develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime. Populations most at risk for developing type 2 diabetes are Native Americans, African Americans, and Latinos.
To learn more about type 2 diabetes, visit the CDC’s website on the subject.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease which occurs primarily in children and young adults under the age of 40. However, disease onset can occur at any age. An autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system turns against a part of the body. In diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys the islet cells which produce insulin in the pancreas. The pancreas then produces little or no insulin. A person who has type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily. Although the cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, there are three factors which play a part in determining why a person develops diabetes:
Type I diabetes accounts for 5-10 percent of those diagnosed with diabetes in the United States.
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes include:
Populations most at risk for developing type 1 diabetes include those of Northern European ancestry.
To learn more about type 1 diabetes, visit the CDC’s website on the subject.
