To educate and raise awareness about the preventability and treatment of diabetes, the Texas Lions Club hosted a Bingo and Diabetes Informational Resource Fair.
Congregating at the Dietert Center last Friday, Texas Lions Club and local club members welcomed the public to a game of bingo, with access to free diabetes screenings and nutrition guidance from medical professionals.
The event was part of the Lions Club’s service activity, where the club dedicates a project to enriching the community where their meetings are held.
“ We have a state organization which meets at the Council of Governors meeting, where club governors from 16 districts come together in Kerrville – this year we’re having it at the YO Ranch,” said Lions Club member Sam Pantusa.
Pantusa is the president and chief operating officer of the Lions Sight Research Foundation, an organization deemed “The Knights of the Blind” by Helen Keller back in 1925. Through his dedication to supporting ophthalmology research, Pantusa has witnessed the consequences of diabetes.
“ Within our district, we have a major diabetes awareness project that was funded by the Lions Clubs International Foundation. We have a partnership with UT Health San Antonio, the ophthalmology department there, where we support research and do preventive services. So when it was announced that they wanted to do diabetes screenings for the service activity, we brought our supplies and our tools to conduct that,” said Pantusa.
Conducting the screenings was Lions Club District Governor, Rose Ann Barajas, who previously worked at the Texas Diabetes Institute.
“ The Lions recognize that we were putting the cart before the horse, when addressing blindness in the communities. We need to address diabetes, which is the number one cause of preventable blindness,” said Barajas.
Like blindness, there are preventative measures you can take to avoid diabetes. Among the booths in attendance were dietitians from Peterson Health providing nutritional guidance for diabetes prevention and management.
“ For diabetics, every single food item that you put in your mouth is going to affect your levels. When you eat, food breaks down into glucose to get absorbed into the body’s cells, but for diabetics where there’s decreased pancreatic sufficiency or no insulin production at all, the glucose can’t be used, so it stays in the bloodstream – becoming very dangerous,” said Peterson Health Clinical Dietitian Baylie Davies.
When managing the negative effects of diabetes, determining a nutrition plan is vital in controlling a healthy blood sugar level and preventing related complications.
“ We always encourage consistent carb intake throughout the day and pairing it with something that has fiber in it or protein in it. Pairing protein or fiber with simple carbs slows down the digestion so it’s not going to spike your blood sugar as much. We don’t want high blood sugar, but we also don’t want low blood sugar, because both can be detrimental,” said Davies.
For more information about diabetes prevention, management, and local resources, visit Peterson Health’s website at www.petersonhealth.com/tag/diabetes.