Registered Nurse Jennifer Newell has joined the Jefferson Healthcare diabetes services team and will be on hand to greet the public during the Quilcene Wellness Fair, slated to run from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Quilcene Community Center, 294952 U.S. Highway 101 in Quilcene. The event is free to attend. Newell, a certified diabetes educator, brings 20 years of experience as an educator and 37 years as a registered nurse to the existing team of C. Wesley Schott, PA-C, and Irene Marble, RD, certified diabetes educator. Newell is passionate in her role of providing guidance, education and support to individuals who have diabetes, a news release stated. The Jefferson Healthcare diabetes services team recently received a Certificate of Recognition from the American Diabetes Association for its Diabetes Self-Management Education Program. The designation means the team maintains and follows American Diabetes Association guidelines and standards, ensuring the quality of services provided to the community, the news release stated. Jefferson Healthcare offers a range of services and education options to meet the needs of patients with pre-diabetes, Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. “Jefferson’s ADA-recognized program is based on individual needs to empower those with diabetes to live healthier lives,” Newell said. “Whether a person has been living with diabetes for some time, or whether diabetes is a new diagnosis, we provide the resources needed to inform, guide and support efforts to optimize your health.” The team hosts a variety of monthly group and individual education classes to address a variety of topics, including healthy eating, active lifestyle, understanding medications and continuous glucose monitoring. Diabetes is diagnosed when blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Over time, having too much blood glucose cause health problems, such as heart disease, nerve damage, eye problems and kidney disease. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented and is manageable with healthy lifestyle choices and knowing what to do to manage the disease, the news release stated. An estimated 30.3 million people in the United States, or 9.4 percent of the population, suffers from diabetes. About one in four people with diabetes don’t know they have the disease. An estimated 84.1 million Americans aged 18 or older have pre-diabetes.