Elizabethtown, NY – The University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital will host free monthly diabetes support group meetings, starting Tuesday, August 17 at 4:30 pm. The meetings are available at no cost to community members and can be accessed through a secure online platform, or in person at the hospital’s main campus in Elizabethtown.

“As someone with diabetes, I know what a difference being proactive about your health can make,” said Denise McLaughlin, BSN, RN, DCES, support group facilitator and the new diabetes care and education specialist at Elizabethtown Community Hospital (ECH). The meetings are geared for people at risk of developing or diagnosed with diabetes and will feature disease management tips and nutritious recipes.

“We know that diabetes education can provide a strong foundation and help patients achieve better outcomes,” said Rob DeMuro, MD, and medical director for primary care at ECH. “We also know that people with diabetes are more likely to successfully manage the disease when they have support.”

According to the 2019 Essex County Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement/Service Plan, the prevalence of adults with diabetes in Essex County, 14%, is higher than diabetes prevalence nationwide. ECH offers a range of diabetes resources for patients, including one-on-one nutrition and disease management counseling, a free produce voucher program, and a twelve-week prevention program. Support group meetings, resuming this month after an 18-month pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are open to both patients and community members.

“It can feel overwhelming to have to balance your diet, medications, and movement all on your own,” said McLaughlin. “We are offering this support option to help make self-management more sustainable in the long run and, hopefully, a little more enjoyable, too.”

For more information on the diabetes support group, please visit ECH.org or call (518) 873-9005.

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About Elizabethtown Community Hospital

The University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital is a designated critical access hospital and the primary health care provider serving residents in Essex County and northern Warren and Washington Counties in New York.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital is transforming rural health care at its main campus in Elizabethtown, NY, at a new emergency department and outpatient center in Ticonderoga, NY, and at six community-based primary health care centers located throughout the region. The hospital is one of the community’s largest employers with 350 employees.

Across the Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga campuses, the hospital maintains two 24-hour emergency rooms, a 25-bed inpatient unit, physical therapy, laboratory, and digital radiology departments; and a variety of specialty physician clinics on a weekly and monthly basis.  

Elizabethtown Community Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission and is licensed and certified by the New York State Department of Health and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

About The University of Vermont Health Network
The University of Vermont Health Network is an academic health system that is comprised of six affiliate hospitals, a multi-specialty medical group, and a home health agency. We serve the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives.  Our partners include:

• The University of Vermont Medical Center  
• The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health and Hospice

Our 4,000 health care professionals are driven to provide high quality, cost-efficient care as close to home as possible. Strengthened by our academic connection to the University of Vermont, each of our hospitals remains committed to its local community by providing compassionate, personal care shaped by the latest medical advances and delivered by highly skilled experts.