When a child receives a diabetes diagnosis, many parents feel overwhelmed. While there’s a lot for you, your child and your family to learn, Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation can help. Through a collaboration with Stanford Children’s Health and Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital, pediatric endocrinologists (doctors who specialize in treating childhood diabetes), certified diabetes educators, registered dietitians and social workers at SPMF provide a variety of educational services and support.

They’ll help you and your child learn:

• Where insulin comes from and how it helps the body process food.
• What happens when a child’s body makes too little or no insulin (type 1 diabetes) or cannot use insulin properly (type 2 diabetes).
• What supplies to keep on hand and where to get them.
• How to test and monitor a child’s blood sugar (blood glucose) levels.
• How what a child eats and drinks affects blood glucose levels.
• How to draw up and give insulin injections to infants and young children.
• How exercise affects blood sugar and how to manage insulin during exercise.
• How to identify and respond to high and low blood sugar (hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia).
• When to contact your healthcare team and when to get emergency care for your child.
• How to educate daycare providers and schools about diabetes care for your child.
• The importance of exercise and steps to keep children safe.
• How to deal with common problems, including sleepovers at friends’ homes, sick days, summer camps and vacations.
• Coping skills that help you and your child handle the emotional stress of diabetes.