BY MERLE MONAHAN/CONTRIBUTING WRITER
merlemonah@aol.com

FRANKLIN
A diabetes awareness program designed to teach diabetics and caregivers in the Franklin/Southampton area how to live with and manage the disease is being offered now in Franklin.

A preliminary session took place in early February. Following sessions for the free program will be at various locations, starting at 10 a.m. today, Saturday, Feb. 28, in Southampton Memorial Hospital. The locations and times of subsequent sessions will be announced at a later date.

Instructor Dana Stallings said the program is a “must attend” for diabetics in the area.

“So many people with diabetes don’t realize the disease can be controlled to make their lives so much easier and this is what we’ll teach them,” she said. “Then there are people out there who don’t even realize they’re diabetic. They too, can be helped.”

The Diabetes Community Empowerment Program is a partnership of the American Diabetes Association, the Obici Healthcare Foundation and the Chronic Disease and Diabetic Clinic at the Franklin Health Department.

There are six sessions scheduled that will cover all aspects of the disease, including management, prevention and treatment.

“We will teach you how to shop for and prepare healthier foods and what activity is allowed, as well as about diabetic complications and how to manage them,” Stallings said.

The sessions are all taught by professionals, she added, and urges those who may need this information to please attend.

“All you have to do is show up,” Stallings said.