SALINAS, CA Natividad Medical Center encourages you to know your risk of developing diabetes, a disease that many ignore until it is too late. To help bring attention to the disease, the American Diabetes Association has deemed Tuesday, March 26th, as Diabetes Alert Day.

On Diabetes Alert Day, a day in which everyone is encouraged to take a Diabetes Risk Test to find out if they are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, the Diabetes Education Center will have an informational booth in the lobby of Natividad Medical Center, 1441 Constitution Blvd. , Bldg. 200 (next to the Gift Shop) from 11:00am – 1:00pm. Please stop by our booth to find out if you are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes and what you can do to prevent it. No appointment necessary. Available on a first come first serve basis. The direct line for the Diabetes Education Center is 831-755-6292.

According to the American Diabetes Association, a recent study showed that many overweight and obese Americans do not believe they are at serious risk for diabetes and are ignoring weight as a health risk. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 indicates that the body cannot produce any insulin. This most often occurs in children and young adults. These individuals must take daily insulin injections. Type 2 is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body’s inability to make enough, or properly use, insulin. This type makes up 90 to 95 percent of affected population.

The risk factors for diabetes include individuals with a family history of the disease; adults over the age of 45; individuals who are overweight by more than 10 pounds; individuals who do not exercise on a regular basis; minority populations; individuals with hypertension or blood pressure greater than 140 over 90; and women who had gestational diabetes or who had a baby weighing 9 pounds or more at birth.

Warning Signs:
· Frequent urination
· Excessive thirst
· Extreme hunger
· Unusual weight loss
· Increased fatigue
· Irritability
· Blurry vision
· BMI > 25

Natividad Medical Center’s Diabetes Education Center offers outpatient services to children and adults with diabetes Type 1, Type 2, gestational diabetes, and pre-diabetes. Outpatient services include individual counseling and education, group counseling and education, community presentations and outreach. Services are provided by a Certified Diabetes Educator. Services are available in English, Spanish and other languages.

About Natividad Medical Center
Natividad Medical Center is a Monterey County owned and operated 172 bed acute care hospital providing health care services to the people of the county for more than 127 years. Natividad Medical Center offers inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care. NMC provides more than 34,000 patient days each year and more than 47,000 emergency department visits per year. NMC is ranked #1 in newborn deliveries in Monterey County. Natividad is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast, through its affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). With a medical staff of more than 228 physicians, Natividad’s mission is to continually improve the health status of the people of Monterey County through access to affordable, high-quality health care services. Natividad is based in Salinas, California. For more information, please call 831-755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com.