Diabetes Outreach and Education System (DOES)
It is estimated that in 2003, there were 444,835 people in New Jersey 18 years and older diagnosed with non-gestational diabetes. Data indicate that over 175,000 more people have diabetes and do not know it.

For more than six years, Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers has operated Diabetes Outreach and Education System (DOES), a program that works with individuals and organizations to increase public awareness and action that will help communities learn to control diabetes and its complications. This initiative supports the National Diabetes Education Program effort to help communities across the country develop comprehensive outreach programs and education campaigns to control Type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is a chronic condition that results from the body’s inability to remove sugar from the bloodstream and deliver it to other body cells. Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes.

There are two main types of diabetes.

• Type 1 Diabetes: When your body makes little or not insulin. This is called insulin deficiency and occurs most frequently in the childhood or teen years.
• Type 2 Diabetes: When your body has a difficult time using the insulin made by your pancreas or the insulin you take.

Some diabetes symptoms include:

• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Increased fatigue
• Irritability
• Blurry vision

How DOES Can Help You
While there is no cure for this chronic disease, helping people with diabetes learn to control the disease is one important way to make a difference. Scientific evidence shows that aggressive treatment of diabetes with diet, physical activity, and new medicines can prevent of delay much of the illness and the complications associated with diabetes.

Through DOES, we work to spread the word that diabetes is serious, common, costly and controllable. Our efforts are directed to:

Individuals
We’ll provide you with information, materials and training on diabetes and help you identify diabetes resources in your community.

Organizations
By partnering with community resources we can strengthen our outreach and intervention efforts by offering technical and financial assistance that can enrich community-wide outreach and education activities.

Who to Contact to Learn More?
For more information about Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers’ DOES Project, call (609) 567-0200.