With COVID-19 spreading into our communities it is more important than ever to take steps to prevent diabetes. Health care providers have found that type 2 diabetes is one of several underlying conditions that can make the symptoms of COVID-19 more severe and potentially deadly. In this story we meet Marilyn Morgan, of Johnson County, and Connie Godsey Duvall, of Cumberland County, two eastern Kentuckians who, despite the difficulties posed by the pandemic, are meeting the challenge of preventing type 2 diabetes head-on. Both have been participating in their local version of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), and both say the program has helped them not just lose weight, but also keep it off. Also featured is Mary Beth Castle, DPP Lifestyle Coach at the Johnson County Health Department, who speaks about her efforts to guide participants through the DPP process online amidst the unique circumstances of a worldwide pandemic.
October 19, 2020