LUBBOCK, Texas– The American Diabetes Association reports 33,000 people in Lubbock County are living with diabetes and Covenant Health is doing something to help.

The free Community Diabetes and Prediabetes Program gives patients the tool to help make lifestyle changes to navigate their disease.

Covenant Health Program Manager for Health Equity Brett Thigpen says this program is for anyone that has diabetes, prediabetes and a family history of diabetes.

“So, the goal is you find out you have diabetes let’s get you healthy and make sure we can avoid all of those long-term complications down the road,” Thigpen says.

With this program patients of all ages get 12 months to participate in several free resource classes including education, cooking, exercise and support groups.

“Our team that’s involved with this program is really skilled at connecting patients to all the different resources that they need to get healthy,” Thigpen says. “So, whatever other chronic issues they might have or other health problems unrelated to the diabetes we are making sure they are checking in with their physicians from all specialties.”

Covenant hopes to change health outcomes and address health equity for those in communities suffering with diabetes.

Thigpen says so far there has already been a success story.

“We had a patient that came in with an A1C of about 12 and over six months that A1C is now about 6,” Thigpen says. “That person no longer needs to take insulin and they are living a happy healthy life pretty much free of diabetes at this point because of the interventions that they were able to do because of our program.”

To enroll in the Covenant Health Community Diabetes and Prediabetes Program, or to find more information, call (806)778-8652 or send questions to covenanthealthequity@providence.org.