St. Clare's Program Supports Diabetes Education

Recognizing the importance of diabetes education and training in order to help people with diabetes to effectively manage their condition, Saint Clare’s Health System will partner with Camp Nejeda this summer in support of its camp program designed to promote diabetes education for children, teens and their families.

 Camp Nejeda, located on 72 wooded acres in Stillwater, NJ, is run by the non-profit Camp Nejeda Foundation, Inc. and is the only facility of its kind in New Jersey and neighboring states, hosting young people and their families from across the region. The camp offers one- and two-week long overnight experiences focused on empowering young people to manage their diabetes in real-life situations, promoting a healthy, active lifestyle, and encouraging a positive attitude about living with diabetes.

 This year, a team of 14 registered nurses from various nursing departments within Saint Clare’s Health System will be taking part in Camp Nejeda’s residential summer camp program, which runs from the beginning of July through the end of August. Through the program, each nurse will receive hands-on education in diabetes management, learn carbohydrate counting, and become familiar with the use of insulin pumps, ultimately allowing participating nurses to return to their departments as “nurse champions” in diabetes management.

 “Through Saint Clare’s Regional Diabetes Center, our skilled medical and nursing staff provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient diabetes support and care to members of the community,” said Susan Barrecchia, Coordinator, Bariatrics/Regional Diabetes Center at Saint Clare’s. “This opportunity with Camp Nejeda further builds upon the care we provide at the center, allowing nurses from other areas of the health system to grow their competencies in diabetes management, and helping to further bring diabetes education and awareness to the forefront in each of their departments.”

To learn more about the Regional Diabetes Center at Saint Clare’s, visit www.saintclares.org/. To learn more about Camp Nejeda, visit www.campnejeda.org.