For Immediate Release
October 28, 2004

Contact:
Lanelle Roussel
(207) 774-5801
Beryl Wolfe
(207)883-6083
E-mail: beryl@wolfenews.com
Web Site: http://www.martinspoint.org

Martin’s Point Health Care will host its annual Diabetes Fair from noon to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at the Martin’s Point Health Education Center at 331 Veranda St. in Portland.

The event, entitled "Diabetes and Kidney Disease: What’s the Connection," will feature a presentation by Dr. Stuart Abramson of Maine Nephrology Associates to help participants understand how to protect themselves against kidney disease.

The annual event coincides with National Diabetes Education Month and is aimed at providing information and answering questions about diabetes, which if uncontrolled can lead to blindness, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and amputation.

The fair will also feature interactive displays and activities that will help attendees learn how to stay healthy with diabetes. Martin’s Point dietitians, diabetes nurse educators, and health educators will be on hand to answer questions.

The Diabetes Fair is free and open to the public and includes a light lunch. However, participants must call 829-2497 or toll free (800) 260-6681 to reserve a place for the lunch. Or, walk-ins after 1 p.m. are welcome.

The Martin’s Point Health Education Center offers a variety of resource materials, such as publications and videos, and classes that focus on a host of topics, ranging from weight management and smoking cessation to disease management.

The center, for example, offers extensive information on diabetes, a disease which causes blood sugar levels to be too high. Over time, high blood sugar levels can harm nerves, eyes, kidneys, and heart and blood vessels. About 17 million Americans – including about 70,000 Mainers – have diabetes, the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the United States, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Symptoms of diabetes include extreme thirst, blurry vision from time to time, frequent urination, unusual tiredness or drowsiness, and unexplained weight loss. Anyone with those symptoms should contact their doctor.

Established in 1981, Martin’s Point is a not-for-profit health care provider with facilities in Portland, Brunswick and Windham, Maine, and in Portsmouth, N.H. Martin’s Point serves patients in the areas of family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, radiology, cardiology, and mammography, as well as other fields. For additional information on Martin's Point Health Care, visit them online at www.martinspoint.org.

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