We are excited to announce our DiabetesEd Flower Scholarship Recipients!
The Diabetes Educator Flower Scholarship is awarded to 2 individuals each year. This scholarship awards two deserving applicants the opportunity to attend our DiabetesEd Specialist Virtual Conference on October 12-14, 2022 free of charge. This gift of recognition is donated by a generous diabetes nurse specialist who believes that the health of our future depends on supporting diabetes educators in providing care in underserved communities.
The Flower Scholarship’s vision is to increase diversity in the diabetes education workforce by supporting diabetes nurse educators who come from underserved communities.
It is always a very difficult decision for all of the judges. We read each application in careful detail considering the applicant’s impact on underserved communities, building bridges to improve access, volunteerism, financial need and readiness to take the CDCES exam. Read more about Ms. Owens and Ms. Hillman below.
Our “Flower” recipients are Janeka Owens & Patricia Hillman
Congratulations from all of us at Diabetes Education Services!
Janeka Owens is a recipient of our “Flower Scholarship” because of her belief that “Diversity and representation matter in diabetes education”. She turns this belief into action in her work as a Nurse Educator in a hospital and in an outpatient Population Health Department in Pensacola, Florida. In addition to providing individual education, Janeka also provides group classes to both insured and uninsured individuals. She assists with hospital discharges and care management for individuals experiencing food and medical insecurity and makes sure they are connected with community health centers to receive ongoing care. Janeka goes on to say that, “representation is important to improve outcomes, build stronger communities and overall restore trust in health care”. Thank you, Janeka, for being a trusted health care provider and advocating to improve access to diabetes self-management and support programs for your community members.
Patricia Hillman is also a Flower Scholarship Recipient. She provides diabetes care at a federally qualified health center in an underserved community. Many of the people she serves have no insurance and struggle to manage their diabetes. Patricia works directly with her Maternal/Fetal physician to co-manage people during pregnancy and often follows up with high-risk individuals on weekends. Many of the clients she serves, have limited resources, and lack insurance coverage. Patricia goes out her way to make sure they have needed resources and that they can easily access her with questions and concerns. Patricia has created a library of information in English, Spanish and Creole to meet community needs and create bridges of understanding. She often accompanies those who have not yet learned English to the pharmacy to assist with language barriers and ensure they get the supplies they need. Patricia plans to apply the knowledge garnered from the course to continue empowering her community.
Congratulations to Janeka and Patricia. You both are Flower Scholarship Recipients!
