MDNews - Long Island

L O C A L N E W S Clinicians across Northwell Health partnered with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) for the health system's fifth annual Know the Difference Day on June 7 to educate staff and hospital visitors about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Led by diabetes educators, nurses and physicians, the event raised awareness about the differences between the two types of diabetes, those affected by the disease and treatments available to help manage the disease. Approximately 1.25 million Americans have Type 1 diabetes, which is caused by an autoimmune disease. People with Type 1 diabetes cannot produce insulin and require insulin through multiple daily injections or infusion through insulin pumps. Currently, 27 million Americans are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and are insulin-resistant. The causes of the disease are tied to metabo - lism and genetic susceptibility. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed through dietary modifications, exercise and oral medicines. On hand at Zucker Hillside Hospital during the education day was Vincent Maltese, age 18, a JDRF ambassador who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 14. "I was overwhelmed when I was diagnosed as a freshman in high school because diabetes did not run in my family," Maltese says. "It was a huge thing for a young kid to deal with, and I had to put an analytical lens on the food I ate, measuring and calculating my meals and using an insulin pen." As part of the systemwide event, the Department of Medicine at North Shore University Hospital telecast grand rounds with Grazia Aleppo, MD, an endocrinologist at Northwestern University, which focused on continuous glucose monitoring. The talk was followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Aleppo and two JDRF ambassadors — one who discussed living with diabetes as a teenager and the other who was diagnosed with the disease at age 40. Northwell Health continues to expand support programs it has been offering veterans in the community and within its workforce for more than a decade, highlighting several new developments at its Sixth Annual Military Reception held fittingly on the 102nd floor of One World Trade Center, with stunning views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. For the past year, Northwell has been leading the veterans' coordination center for the AmericaServes Network in the New York metropolitan area, as part of the nationwide AmericaServes network. Known as New York City Serves, the service allows veterans and their families to tap into the resources of more than 80 veteran support organizations, addressing issues that include clinical care, housing, financial and legal services. Northwell continues its financial support for its employees who are returning veterans. For the sixth consecutive year, Northwell President and CEO Michael Dowling presented employees who returned from deployment over the past year with checks representing the difference between their military pay and the regular salaries they would have re - ceived had they not taken military leave. Since the program's inception, 42 Northwell employees who were deployed to military service have received financial rewards totaling more than $1.7 million. In 2017, Northwell hired more than 500 veterans, up from 417 in 2016 and 220 in 2015, continually increasing their outreach. Juan Serrano, Director of Northwell's Office of Military and Veterans Liaison Services and a veteran, noted "Through Northwell's pledge to help veterans find employment, develop training skills, and get medical or behavioral health treatment, our message is clear — no veteran should be left behind." St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center participated in the fifth annual Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project Day of Wellness at Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck in Center Moriches. The free event was hosted by the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project — a joint initia - tive of Suffolk County United Veterans and Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency. The event is sponsored for Veterans and their families to provide connectivity to resources for those dealing with post-service transition issues. The day of wellness is focused on holistic disciplines, and was attended by veterans from all around the island. St. Catherine's Community Outreach Coordinator Mary Ellen McCrossen, along with family medicine physician Elizabeth Acevedo-Danzi, DO, of The fifth annual Know the Difference Day raised awareness about the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Northwell Health expands commitment to veterans hosting sixth annual military reception 2 8

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