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St. Luke's Regional Medical Center

2720 Stone Park Blvd.
Sioux City, Iowa
51104

(712) 279-3500

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Kavanaugh receives recertification as diabetes educator

11/28/2012


Sioux City, IA - Grace Kavanaugh, registered nurse and Clinical Coordinator of St. Luke’s Diabetes Education Services, has received recertification as a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) by the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators.

Kavanaugh received the CDE credential for demonstrating distinct and specialized knowledge as well as meeting the certification board’s rigorous eligibility requirements including a minimum of two years of professional practice experience in diabetes self-management education, a minimum of 1,000 hours of diabetes self-management education experience and passing of a written exam. Eligible individuals must also be currently employed in diabetes self-management education.

This is the third time Kavanaugh has received CDE recertification since she began working in St. Luke’s Diabetes Center 17 years ago. Since 1995, Kavanaugh has held the position of Clinical Coordinator in St. Luke’s Diabetes Education Services during which time the department has received American Diabetes Association recognition and the Codman Award from the Joint Commission. St. Luke’s is also state certified for diabetes.

Prior to joining St. Luke’s Diabetes Education Services, Kavanaugh worked as a St. Luke’s staff nurse as well as an educator in St. Luke’s School of Nursing. She also worked as a caseworker for the State of Nebraska.

Kavanaugh has been an employee of St. Luke’s for 40 years.

Kavanaugh holds a bachelor of science in nursing degree from Mount Marty College in Yankton and a masters in adult and higher education from the University of South Dakota. She has a certificate in Gerontology from the University of Nebraska in Omaha and is a certified Pump Trainer for Medtronic.

Kavanaugh is a member of the American Diabetes Association leadership group, American Association of Diabetes Educators, Sigma Theta Tau and the Confraternity of Christian Mothers.

The National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators recertifies Certified Diabetes Educators every five years. A voluntary process, certification assesses and validates qualified health care professionals’ knowledge in diabetes education.


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About St. Luke’s:

St. Luke's Regional Medical Center is part of St. Luke's Health System, an integrated delivery network serving the tri-state Siouxland area. Our focus is - and will always be - patient-centered care to improve the health of the people of Siouxland. With 1,200 employees and nearly 85,000 patients cared for annually, St. Luke’s is an anchor of support for the Siouxland community.

St. Luke's offers full-service healthcare with a range of inpatient and outpatient services, specialty and family healthcare clinics, and healthcare screenings and community benefit programs. St. Luke's is also planning for the future of healthcare through its affiliation with St. Luke’s College. With a strong focus on safety and quality, St. Luke’s has built a long-standing reputation of improving lives through advanced treatment and health education.

For more information, visit www.stlukes.org.