Spotlighting National Diabetes Month this November

Every Wednesday at noon, a friendly and boisterous group of BHCHP patients, diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes, gather together in a crowded BHCHP conference room. With coffee cups in hand, they share stories, resources, and lots of laughs. But most of all, they share friendship and community.

Introducing the BHCHP Wellness Group, who, as the name implies, are committed to their own and each other’s health and wellbeing.

You see, successfully managing a complicated diabetes disease while being homeless or poor can be overwhelming.

Says Patti Cullen, MA, LMHC, who started the group in 2016, “For someone with diabetes and living in a shelter or on the street or in abject poverty, it takes tremendous determination and resourcefulness to stay healthy. A fresh, nutritious diabetes-friendly diet is costly and hard to adhere to, even for those of us who are housed and have access to lots of resources.”

The group focuses on education and management of chronic disease. Patti continues, “Because uncontrolled diabetes affects so many organs and overall quality of life, we cover a diverse range of topics including Parkinsons, Dementia, Alzheimer’s, and gut health issues. We invite Pharmacy students and our Pharmacy staff to the group every 4 -5 weeks to cover questions so that our patients get the information they need to manage their chronic diseases.” Patti saw the need for this group years ago. “When my patients would meet with me in clinic, we would talk about strategies to manage their disease including the importance of looking at ourselves holistically, not as compartmentalized beings; and how to control their diabetes. But then once they left clinic, they faced their incredibly challenging living situations, and that could be very discouraging. I realized that if I brought the patients together, with the diagnoses and the same lived experiences, this group was going to offer a safe space for learning and transformation to live a healthy life. The group empowers each other, knowing that others have walked this same path and succeeded.”

On a recent Wednesday, the individuals, convening around a conference table, warmly greet each other and welcome W, a male patient, new to the group, who had just been diagnosed by Dr. Geren Stone, a BHCHP physician at our shelter partner St. Francis House. With dual diagnoses of PTSD and diabetes, W seems overwhelmed and nervous. He says he’s worried about insulin needles and wants “to learn how to deal with it and get information.”

Immediately, folks chimed in…

“It’s gonna be OK.”

“We’ll help you.”

“The good thing about diabetes is it makes you very aware of your health.” That “glass is half full” statement came from N, whose close friend lost both legs to diabetes. N is determined to not let that happen to him.

Patti tells W that it’s possible to not have to take medications. Eating the right foods and in the correct portion size are key. Diabetes can be controlled. It’s about making changes about what you decide to put in your body.

D calls the group a blessing, with new friendships and support and knowledge. She loves playing Diabetic Bingo and hearing guest speakers explain healthy living.

N praises BHCHP staff for faithfully holding the meetings, calling folks each week to remind them to come. Through the group, she has learned to make healthier food choices, and to refuse sweets when offered to her, something she never would have done before.

One male member of the group says he grew up “emotionally eating” with the constant childhood stress of moving from housing to shelters to the streets and back again. He had been around diabetes his whole life, having seen several members of his family dealing with it, in various ways. Now, he feels more active and his blood sugar is at a good level, thanks to his attached glucose monitor.

W expresses interest in getting a glucose monitor and the group discusses how to develop a food plan with the monitor. They tell W that it would take just a little practice. W seems a bit more relaxed by the end of the meeting.

BHCHP’s Wellness Group has lots of patient success stories and shows the power of community-led group support. Says N, “I am no longer afraid. I don’t take chances with my health anymore.”