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Free pre-diabetes class offered by local women's group

In Bexar County, the prevalence of diabetes has remained between 10% to 15% over the past few years. It’s also the 4th leading cause of death in the county.

SAN ANTONIO — A local organization is offering a free virtual class to help educate the public as part of Diabetes Awareness Month.

The San Antonio Chapter of Hadassah is hosting a session on pre-diabetes through Zoom on Thursday, November 12. It will be taught by Barbara Walz, RN, BSN, CDE - who is a long-time nurse, educator and diabetes expert.

The deadline to register is Tuesday, November 10. You can get signed up by sending an email to joanwestgor@gmail.com or request more information.

Diabetes occurs when there’s a build-up of sugar in the blood and the body cannot effectively make or use insulin to process the sugar. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form and is often caused by factors such as a high intake of highly-processed food, excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and excess body fat.

According to Metro Health, in Bexar County the prevalence of diabetes has remained between 10-15% over the past few years. It’s also the 4th leading cause of death in Bexar County.

Across Texas, more than 2 million people have diabetes and about 180,000 new people are diagnosed with it each year. And it’s the sixth leading cause of death in Texas.

Hadassah is an American Jewish volunteer women's group founded in 1912 with more than 300,000 members in the U.S.

For decades, the group has been committed to treating and preventing diabetes. Two hospitals of the Hadassah Medical Organization in Israel are focused on improving the care of diabetic patients as a goal for the next decade. Hadassah created the Hadassah Diabetes Center at the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem.

To learn more Hadassah and its approach to help those with diabetes, check out this link.

Credit: Hadassah SA

SA Hadassah is also selling goody bags with ingredients to help people enjoy a healthy Thanksgiving and Hanukkah. The bags are $18 and will be available through a drive-thru pickup. They contain sugar-free applesauce, nutmeg, ginger and other seasonings. Part of the money will go towards the group’s philanthropic efforts.

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