A Big Effort For Diabetes In The Big Apple

Amidst the unceasing hope for a cure to diabetes, it is easy to forget the real reality of those living with diabetes in the present.  There are too many people with diabetes who are not receiving proper care or who are unaware that they are living with diabetes. With that said, we were heartened to learn about the new Gerald J. Friedman Diabetes Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City is dedicated to providing diabetes education, care and research of the highest quality in a brand-new facility on the Beth Israel campus.

Amidst the unceasing hope for a cure to diabetes, it is easy to forget the real reality of those living with diabetes in the present.  There are too many people with diabetes who are not receiving proper care or who are unaware that they are living with diabetes. With that said, we were heartened to learn about the new Gerald J. Friedman Diabetes Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City is dedicated to providing diabetes education, care and research of the highest quality in a brand-new facility on the Beth Israel campus. With outreach efforts that span both the city and nation, the Friedman Institute is set to improve the health and quality of life of possibly millions of people living with diabetes. The Friedman Center benefits from a $6 million from Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman New York Foundation for Medical Research.

The credo of the Institute is the acronym “C.A.R.E.”, with every program at the center falling under one of the categories “Care,” “Awareness,” “Research” or “Education.” Excellent, no? Care includes everything from onsite blood glucose monitoring to exercise classes and insulin pump training – the latter is sorely needed as many programs around the country are backed up. The Awareness programs are planned towards larger public outreach and the Research programs will be both clinical and basic. Education programs will not only be targeted towards populations at high risk for diabetes but also underserved groups such as the deaf and those living with mental illness. Whew. There will also be a freely accessible educational website, which we will report on when we learn more..

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported in July 2007 that there are 500,000 adults living with diabetes in New York City -  this is higher on average than most US urban ceters. The Friedman Institute appears to understand that diabetes is not a problem of just 500,000 New Yorkers but a major public health crisis that requires much larger community involvement. We at Close Concerns will be delighted to see the official opening of the Friedman Institute on World Diabetes Day, November 14th – now this is a real stride. Thank you so much to the Friedmans for their generousity of time, resources, and spirit.

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[April Sandmeyer]

WORLD DIABETES DAY, NOV. 14, 2008 IN NYC:
THE FIRST ANNUAL GERALD J. FRIEDMAN FELLOWS SYMPOSIUM ON
NUTRITION, DIABETES AND HUMAN HEALTH

The first annual Gerald J. Friedman Fellows Symposium was held November 14, 2008 on World Diabetes Day at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York City. This exciting day-long event, from 9AM until 6PM, explored the ongoing research of a unique fellowship program, bringing together multi-disciplinary academicians to advance research on nutrition, diabetes and health.

The symposium featured a plenary lecture by Dr. Anastassios Pittas, the first Friedman Fellow, on lessons from 10 years in research. Fellows, drawn from Beth Israel Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Siouxland Medical Education Foundation, Tufts University and Tufts Medical Center delivered presentations on cutting-edge research.

Symposium topics included: Molecular mechanisms that link type 2 diabetes and breast cancer progression, Novel biological roles for Vitamin K, Does women's empowerment really improve child nutrition in Bangladesh? and sixteen others.

One of the most exciting presentations on the agenda was that of conference co-chair Leonid Poretsky, M.D., Chief, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism Director at Gerald J. Friedman Diabetes Institute, Gerald J. Friedman Chair in Endocrinology at Beth Israel Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Poretsky presented data from the first year of operation at the new Gerald J. Friedman Diabetes Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center. Perhaps the most important measurable goal the program has achieved is a 50% reduction in excess HbA1C (a reflection of an average of all blood sugars in an individual which have occurred in a period of three months) levels, in all patients at the Institute. The odds of this occurring by chance alone are .1%. With 99% certainty we can conclude that patients who have entered this program have shown these improvements within at least 3 months.

The first annual Gerald J. Friedman Fellows Symposium was sponsored by The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman Foundation and marked the first anniversary of The Gerald J. Friedman Diabetes Institute, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City.

as reported by April Sandmeyer

[Scott]

NYC has a comparative shortage of diabetes medical centers that was well-documented by the NY Times. Unfortunately, this is driven by the economics of the dysfunctional U.S. medical system. Consider that Boston and Philadelphia (cities and metro areas which are considerably smaller) both have more diabetes medical centers than the nation's largest city and metro area, which has just under 8 million residents within the city limits alone.

This is indeed great news for New York, and the generosity of the Friedmans cannot be underestimated.