The American Diabetes Association estimates 23.6 million Americans have diabetes. The SLCC Student Health Clinic can help students lower their risk of becoming part of this statistic.
The Student Health Clinic can help in two ways. The first is testing students for diabetes and helping them obtain medicine if they test positive. The second is teaching students to live healthier. This reduces the likelihood of developing diabetes.
The Student Health Clinic is located in the basement of the Student Event Center in room 035 at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus. There is also a location on the South City Campus in room W 175. Students who want to be tested for diabetes can set up an appointment with the Student Health Clinic by calling 801-957-4347.
Walk-ins are also welcome but will be seen on a first-come, first-serve basis.
During their appointment, students will have their blood drawn, which will then be sent away for testing. The Student Health Clinic can then help students who test positive for diabetes to obtain the necessary medication.
For students who are only at risk or who are diagnosed as pre-diabetic, the Student Health Clinic has other resources to help them including the Health and Lifestyles program.
“We teach people how to adopt healthy lifestyle behavior,” said Tatiana Burton, the health promotion specialist at SLCC. She is also in charge of the Health and Lifestyles program.
Burton meets with students in one-on-one counseling sessions. She helps students decide what they want to accomplish and what goals they want to set. The main goals she works on with students are eating right and exercising more.
“We have a walking group here on campus,” said Burton. “We walk for 30 minutes twice a week.”
The walking group and counseling sessions are free of charge to SLCC students. Burton emphasizes that consistent activity is essential to lowering the risk of diabetes. Another important factor is eating right.
“There is no such thing as a diabetic diet,” said Neal Catalano, a certified diabetes educator. He recently presented a workshop about diabetes at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus. “The key is moderation.”
Catalano explains that people with diabetes should focus on eating smaller portions and choosing healthy foods. He says that applies to people who are at risk of developing diabetes, as well.
“A lot of people are stress eaters,” said Catalano. “When you got a test or exam coming up, you eat more. And the key is, when you know that, have those healthy choices there. Cut up the carrots, the celery, the olives, low-fat things. Low-fat mozzarella or string cheese. Things like that. Have those healthy choices so that when you have those urges, you’re not power-slamming a bag of Cheetos.”
The Health and Lifestyles program can help students develop the healthy eating habits mentioned by Catalano along with encouraging students to exercise. Students interested in learning more about the program can contact Tatiana Burton at tatiana.burton@slcc.edu.
For more information on dangers of diabetes and the risk factors involved, students can visit the American Diabetes Association website at diabetes.org.