District Cabinet Meeting - Friday, March 11, 2022
Diabetes Committee Report

Here is your committee report for Diabetes.     March 22 is DIABETES ALERT DAY!

I will not be present for the convention or the meeting due to a prior commitment. Hopefully next year I can make it!

The committee itself did not meet, but the main purpose of the report is to discuss upcoming information from the WI Lions Foundation Diabetes Meeting, which was held on 2/26/22. I attended this meeting via zoom.

Clubs may have gotten sample packages from Liz Shelly with new handouts that are available. Some of these include a booklet for Type 2, a 2-sided handout about kidney awareness, some foot care handouts/booklets, and a few others. These are the ones that really stood out to me as easy to read yet informative. Don't forget to place your orders with Liz to get any of these supplies mailed to you. If you need these flyers for a specific event, please let her know that as well so she can be sure they get mailed out in time for the event. Don't forget to get fresh supplies if you need them for your Diabetes Alert Day!

Liz will also be sending out some really fantastic posters for our district diabetes displays. Remember we have 3 of them that can be loaned out. If clubs need these for events in March and want one brought to the convention, please let one of the committee members know ahead of time so arrangements can be made. Some of the new posters include a duplicate of the kidney handout, foot care, diabetes and the heart, and some great visual aids for tracking, which you may recall is the focus of the Diabetes Prevention Program. These posters join the great posters we got last year for portion control and sugar content of beverages. We are also looking at making some smaller displays that would be available for check out to the clubs. These would be great additions (both small or large) for vision screening service projects.

Finally, there is a new youth children's book out that we are looking into ordering. It is written by the dad of a 5-year old with Type 1. It is called “You're One with Type 1”. We think this is going to be a nice addition to our available supplies to provide to schools and libraries, or even have “read aloud” sessions.

As far as Trollway Diabetes Inc. I am also working closely with Pam Geis from WI DPH, and have started my application as a Medicare Supplier of the DPP, which I thought was another year off. If clubs are interested in offering this in your communities, please reach out so we can talk logistics. I probably would only be able to add one new Cohort starting in 2022, but I would work to make something happen either virtually or in person.

Finally, I wanted to share via attachment an article about my volunteer efforts for diabetes, featured in the 2021 UW Health Nursing Annual Report.

Nurse Jill's Story
Volunteering and advocacy work are more than just hobbies to UW Health RN Care Coordinator Jill Kietzke, MSN, RN, BC-ADM, they're part of who she is. Jill learned the importance of service early in life by watching her parents, both of whom regularly volunteered at their church, with emergency medical services (EMS) and their local chapter of the Lions Club. But it wasn't until her father passed away in 2017-just a couple months prior to Jill receiving her master's degree in nursing-that she discovered how much her parents' legacy would influence her professional and personal life.

“I absolutely underestimated the power of volunteerism until my dad was gone,” says Jill. “I know now that community service and advocacy on behalf of causes I care deeply about is the best way I can honor him and who he was.”

For Jill, that meant not only joining the local chapter of the Lions Club but also volunteering with the American Diabetes Association (ADA), where her passion and expertise about diabetes were quickly recognized as assets to the organization. It wasn't long before she went from discussing diabetes research, prevention and prescription drug costs with members of Wisconsin's congressional delegation, to joining 200 other diabetes advocates on Capitol Hill to spread the word about ADA programs on a national stage.

Jill says that experience, which included meeting the CEO of the American Diabetes Association and listening to a powerful speech by former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, solidified her passion to continue the work.

“It was exciting to feel like the work I was doing had the potential to make a difference in the world,” she says.

Since then, Jill has become an “ADA influencer,” routinely engaging in rapid-response communication to legislators about urgent topics impacting people with diabetes and their care. As a result, she was chosen in March 2021 to represent Wisconsinites in a roundtable discussion about medication costs with Governor Tony Evers.

In addition to her advocacy efforts, Jill also mentors youth with Type 1 diabetes at the Wisconsin Lions Camp every year. As part of the medical staff, she helps to manage Type 1 diabetes in kids while they participate in typical summer camp activities. She says the mentoring that she and others provide at camp can be life changing for these kids because they learn not only from their mentors, but also from other kids their own age who are struggling with the same challenges. She adds that the week she spends volunteering at camp has been life changing for her, too, and that her experience continues to help inform and define her role at UW Health.

“I feel that volunteering and advocacy on topics that impact my patients' lives just make me a better nurse,” says Jill. “Going the extra mile really exemplifies what being a UW Health nurse is all about, and I like encouraging all my colleagues to engage in issues they're passionate about because doing so creates a ripple effect on the care they provide at UW Health.”

Ultimately, being highly skilled and passionate about caring for and serving others goes far beyond the rewards of a job well done - for Jill, it's personal.

“I know that my dad sees all the work I'm doing for others and that he's cheering me on,” she says. “Just knowing that makes it so much more powerful to me.”

Conclusion
Diabetes advocacy is an important local population health outreach initiative of the ADA. Jill Kietzke's volunteer work with the ADA is integral to the health and well-being of those in Wisconsin with diabetes. UW Health's support of Jill is significant in her ability to volunteer. Jill continues to advocate for those with diabetes and has since participated in events such as the ADA's Cost of Care Summit through UW Health's support.

“It's been life changing,” says Nurse Jill Kietzke about her experience mentoring youth with Type 1 diabetes at the Wisconsin Lions Camp every year. Not only has she formed special bonds with campers like Reagan Randall (pictured right), Jill also sees how it's helped her in her role at UW Health.

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