therapy spotlight
Combating the Diabetes Epidemic
D
ynamic Therapy and Wellness Services, Inc. (DTAWS), offers physical therapy and lifestyle change through the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control-recognized National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), as well as diabetes self-management education and training for persons with diabetes. Stella Nemuseso is a doctor of physical therapy, master trainer of select certificate CDC prevent T2, lifestyle coach, lead trainer for the Diabetes Education Empowerment Program (DEEP) and certified peer diabetes educator. She says, “Our goal is to recruit candidates for our diabetes prevention program (DPP) and diabetes self-management classes and train lifestyle coaches for the national DPP and peer educators for the DEEP. DTAWS was founded in 2004 in
West Palm Beach and relocated to Marion County in 2007. The organization is dedicated to the overall health and positive well-being of the individual and the community. “Through patient-centered health education and evidence-based interventions, our organization has made a lasting impact on the health of our community, one person at a time,” says Nemuseso. “Physical therapists play a key role in health and wellness promotion.” To best allocate resources and reach the maximum number of persons, Dynamic Therapy and Wellness Services targets three segments of the population with pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes: people working in the transportation industry, nurses, persons 65 years of age and older and ethnic groups. It is well-documented that race/ethnic minorities have a higher prevalence of
Through patient-centered health education and evidencebased interventions, our organization has made a lasting impact on the health of our community, one person at a time. ~Stella Nemuseso
diabetes than non-minority individuals. There are multiple factors that contribute to these disparities, including biological and clinical factors, as well as health system and social factors. These groups include Black/African Americans, Hispanic/ Latinos, Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. The National DPP offers three delivery modes: in-person, online and distance learning. DTAWs uses strategic management practices in combination with evidenced-based practices and other best practices in delivering health education. These include participatory education techniques, as well as motivational interviewing and goal setting to help our clients achieve their goals for improved health. Nemuseso notes, “2020 has brought with it an unprecedented global challenge (since the turn of the century) in the health sector and continues to pose an unusual threat to the gains that have been registered in terms of management and containment of diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic affected all in-person program delivery, and DTAWS transitioned to distance learning and other online modalities. Free screening for diabetes and prediabetes is available. Dynamic Therapy and Wellness Services, Inc. is located at 13795 36th Avenue Rd., Ste. 1, in Ocala. For appointments and more information, call 352-693-5367 or 352-533-2371, email Info@dtaws.com or visit dtaws.com.
November 2020
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