Diabetes Support Group to meet at Veterans Memorial Hospital October 20

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, October 20 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room, located on the lower level of the hospital.

The new VMH Medical Clinic providers will be presenting at this meeting. Alex Berns is a family medicine nurse practitioner and Tara Fink is also a nurse practitioner specializing in behavioral health. Alex Berns will be seeing patients of all ages for anything and everything, including treatment of diabetes. He plans on discussing health concerns that are associated with diabetes, such as neuropathy and heart disease.

Tara Fink focuses on diagnoses such as depression, anxiety, PTSD and OCD, just to name a few. The best part is that she will be seeing patients face to face, in the clinic, four days per week, and not virtually (over a screen). It is a fact that depression and anxiety are more prevalent among the diabetes population. Fink is a huge advocate to “stop the stigma” of mental health, and to start talking about depression the same way people might talk to someone about their diabetes diagnosis. Both Tara Fink and Alex Berns will be available for appointments at the VMH Medical Clinic.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or who has a friend or loved one with diabetes.  For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call  Angie Mettille, RN at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon at 563-568-3411.