January 15, 2008
Diabetes Prevention Coordinator Pete Christian, left, and Diabetes Educator Lorraine Gill earned certification as Diabetes Educators.
Diabetes Staff members earn National Certification
We are pleased to announce that Peter Christian, RN, Coordinator of Diabetes Prevention and Control, and Lorraine Gill, MA, RD, Clinical Diabetes Educator, have both achieved Certified Diabetes Educator status by successfully completing the rigorous Certification Examination for Diabetes Educators.
They join the ranks of only 15,500 individuals nationwide who have earned this certification. Achieving certification status demonstrates that Pete and Lorraine possess distinct and specialized knowledge that allows them to provide and promote quality care for people with diabetes.
Peter Christian has worked in the field of diabetes education since 1981. He has been an RN for eight years with three of those years at YKHC. He is known for his caring manner with patients and for being a strong patient advocate. Peter says "We need to concentrate on preventing diabetes in the youth of the Delta. The youth are our future and we want that future to be diabetes-free."
Lorraine Gill has extensive experience as a dietitian and nursing home administrator. She was the director of the WIC Program in Denver, Colorado, and worked for four years with diabetes prevention on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. Lorraine says, "Diabetes is still relatively new on the Delta and we've not seen the serious complications that years of living with uncontrolled diabetes can bring. By returning to tradition and eating healthy Native foods, we hope to see the people of the Delta stay healthy and avoid diabetes."
We are proud of the commitment that Peter and Lorraine have made to the prevention and control of diabetes on the YKHC Delta. The YKHC Diabetes Prevention and Control Program is fortunate to have a team of committed health professionals working toward our common goal of achieving excellent health.
