Diabetes Awareness Important to the Los Angeles District
By Jennie Ayala

Hermina Lang, MSN, RN, with the Department of Federal Occupational Health briefs district personnel on diabetes awareness

Diabetes, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, increases by 9 percent, annually, Lang told the audience. 

“Once you own it, you control it.”

“The key is finding the motivation that drives your life, the internal motivation to do well,” Lang said.

Lang welcomed the opportunity to generate increased and continued communication among staff and supervisors at the Corps of Engineers.  The event was sponsored by the district’s Safety Office.

During a recent staff meeting, Safety Office Chief, Susan Tianen informed supervisors that each of them had staff members affected by the disease.  She encouraged their participation and she explained it was a great opportunity for them to learn how to help support their staff.

“It’s important for me to be here,” said Clotilde Blake, chief of the district’s Equal Opportunity Office.  “Supervisors need to recognize the symptoms and individual’s reactions to this disease.”

Lang explained that people with diabetes encounter similar problems as those with high cholesterol.  People take medication, but continue poor eating habits.  Decreased physical activity, weight gain and poor diet result in higher diabetes cases each year.

“Any education you can receive is good,” said Joyce Fredholm, Asset Management Realty Specialist, who participated in last year’s event.

“You always learn something new and she’s an excellent speaker. This time Ms. Lang’s presentation provided the additional reinforcement I needed,” said Fredholm who suffers from Type II diabetes.

According to Lang, some of the complications associated with diabetes include hospitalization for gangrene, bedsores and kidney failure, heart disease, blindness, amputations and leading contributing factors include age, gender and stress.

Many people place complete trust in their physicians but Lang encourages team members to be as knowledgeable as possible on the issue so that they can make informed decisions about their health.