Chelsey Clark—a registered dietician since 2012 and a Livingston HealthCare employee since 2014—recently earned her Certified Diabetes Educator® (CDE) certificate. The certification is the culmination of more than 1,000 hours of professional practice experience and a rigorous written examination. A Certified Diabetes Educator teaches and supports people affected by diabetes in order that they may better understand and manage their condition.
Clark’s multifaceted role at Livingston HealthCare includes meeting with Clinic, Hospital and Home Health patients for dietary and diabetes consultations. She also helps run a year-long diabetes prevention course to help people who are prediabetic lose weight and make healthier choices in order to prevent a diabetes diagnosis. In addition, she collaborates with Community Health Partners and Livingston HealthCare team members to facilitate Diabetes Education and Empowerment (D.E.E.P.) classes in Park County.
“Having patients see their lab results come back better is really exciting. It helps them continue to make healthy choices when they see that their A1C is better, or their cholesterol is lower, or that they’re managing their blood pressure on less medication,” says Clark.
“I really like helping people see that eating more fruits and vegetables is super beneficial—it doesn’t have to be really hard or require hours of preparation. And healthy food does taste good!” she adds. Asked to name one tip she’d share with readers, Clark quickly responds, “Eat half a plate of vegetables at most meals.”
Clark’s goal is to provide Diabetes Self-Management Education to all diabetic individuals in the Park County community and surrounding areas. She states, “Livingston HealthCare estimates that about 26% of those who are eligible for Diabetes Self-Management Training in Park County are using the service. I would like to see this number be higher.”