New clinic brings diabetes care to Western Tidewater

Open house for the Strelitz Diabetes Center of Western Tidewater
Jerry Nadler, MD (center), the Harry H. Mansbach Chair in Internal Medicine, Professor and Chairman of Internal Medicine and Vice Dean of Research, speaks with Gina Pitrone, Executive Director of Obici Healthcare Foundation, and other guests at the open house for the Strelitz Diabetes Center of Western Tidewater.
David Lieb, MD, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Medical Director of the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center of Western Tidewater, discusses the importance of retinal health in diabetic and pre-diabetic patients.
David Lieb, MD, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Medical Director of the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center of Western Tidewater, discusses the importance of retinal health in diabetic and pre-diabetic patients with George Birdsong, Chairman of Obici Healthcare Foundation; Nancy Welch, MD, Acting Director of the Western Tidewater Health Department; and Pastor Emanuel Myrick, Obici Healthcare Foundation board member.

A quarter century ago, EVMS established a comprehensive diabetes center in Norfolk in recognition of the growing impact the disease was having in Hampton Roads.

Earlier this year, the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center extended that vision, opening its first satellite clinic. With funding from the Obici Healthcare Foundation, the new clinic, located in Suffolk, is intended to be a resource for the people of Western Tidewater, where diabetes is particularly rampant.

Already, the clinic is having an impact, says David Lieb, MD, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Suffolk clinic. Staff have screened more than 370 individuals for diabetes, and the clinic is serving a growing number of patients, regardless of their ability to pay for services.

Dr. Lieb and his team offer a comprehensive approach to diabetes, including prevention advice, lifestyle education and disease management. Specialists are providing diagnosis and care for foot, eye and kidney diseases — common complications of diabetes.

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EVMS established Diabetes Care Center in Suffolk with support from Obici Healthcare Foundation