Thanks to long-time Hoag donors and friends Ginny and Peter Ueberroth, mothers taking post-delivery oral glucose tolerance tests at the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center have a comfortable, quiet and dedicated space to relax with their newborns.
On average, the Allen Diabetes Center sees about 20 new mothers per month who were diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy. These new moms require a two-hour oral glucose tolerance test during the postpartum period to screen for type 2 diabetes. Prior to receiving this philanthropic gift from the Ueberroths, the Allen Diabetes Center post-partum mothers did not have a designated space to nurse their newborns, making it difficult for many to show up for their visits.
Lessening the Burden
Since the required testing timeframe occurs during the precious early weeks of mother-baby bonding, the opportunity to bring their newborns with them to complete the two-hour test is essential.
“Since this test is extremely important for women post-delivery, we want to make it as easy and comfortable as possible for mothers in our community,” said Eunice Lee, program manager at the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center. “Women who have gestational diabetes have up to a 60 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years after delivery. We are focusing on prevention to delay or keep them from developing this chronic disease in the future.”
Funds from the Ueberroth gift are also used to support the cost of the test, which can run almost $220 per person, ensuring there is no charge to the patient for this crucial test.
“We cannot thank the Ueberroth family enough,” said Eunice. “They are improving the health and lessening the burden for many new moms in our community.”
For more information on how you can support the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center, please contact Christy Ward at (949) 764-7238 or Christy.Ward@hoag.org
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