Redwood Area Hospital Diabetes and Nutrition Center is joining in the fight to stop diabetes in November as a part of the American Diabetes Association’s Stop Diabetes® Campaign.

Many of us know someone living with diabetes, but what we often don’t think about is how deadly this disease can be,” said Dorie Oja, certified diabetes education at Redwood Area Hospital. “Diabetes kills more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.”

Redwood Area Hospital Diabetes and Nutrition Center would like to invite you to join in the fight to stop diabetes by having your blood sugar tested at a free screening event held at Redwood Falls pharmacies. Blood sugar screenings will take place on Monday, Nov. 7, at Guide Point Pharmacy; on Thursday, Nov. 10, at Sward Kemp-Snyder Drug; and on Friday, Nov. 11, at Wal-Mart. All screenings will be held from 9 a.m. - noon. The free screening includes a simple finger stick with no fasting required.

Risk factors for diabetes include a family history of diabetes, women who have had gestational diabetes, obesity and inactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and belonging to minority groups such as Hispanics and Native Americans. The American Diabetes Association recommends that everyone over age 45 be screened.

Every 17 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes. “To put that statistic into perspective, imagine if the entire population of Redwood Falls was diagnosed with diabetes in one day,” says Oja. “That’s the frightening reality. Nearly 5,200 people are diagnosed each day.”

If you have questions about diabetes or would like more information about upcoming blood sugar screenings, please call Cindy Moldan at 507-637-4517 or Dorie Oja at 507-637-4518 or visit our website at www.redwoodareahospital.org.