The CMSA Diabetes Program

Gestational Diabetes

If you have diabetes and become pregnant, or if you develop diabetes during pregnancy and are looking for our help, please call for an appointment (814-234-5056) and you will be offered an appointment within just a few days. When it comes to diabetes during pregnancy, treatment should be started as quickly as possible.

The Team Approach to Diabetes Treatment

• Jan S. Ulbrecht, M.D.
• Barbara Purdum, CRNP
• Diana Berlyand, R.D., C.D.E. - Nutrition Services
• Lori Kowalski, R.D. - Nutrition Services
• Susan Trainor, R.N., C.D.E.- Diabetes Nurse
• Angela Givler, R.N., C.D.E.- Diabetes Nurse

At CMSA we use the team approach to diabetes treatment. This approach is employed at most specialized diabetes clinics. The diabetes team is comprised of the patient, the CMSA Diabetes Team (specialist doctor, the diabetes nurses, dietitians, nurse practitioners & physician assistants, and often psychologists) and importantly the patient’s own primary care doctor.

Diabetes is a disease that requires attention 24/7. The PATIENT is ultimately responsible. We cannot make you, the patient, do anything that you don’t want to do – all we can do is give you advice. And we “cannot go home with you” – you must take care of things, 24/7.

Our goal is therefore NOT TO TREAT your diabetes but to TEACH you how to treat it, help you find MOTIVATION to treat it well and teach you how to TROUBLE SHOOT in the future. We are always here to help in case you have a problem, but our goal is to make it so you almost never need us.

When you come here for specialty diabetes care, you are not just coming to see a doctor, you will be treated by the full CMSA DIABETES TEAM. The responsibility of the CMSA Diabetes Team is to give you, the patient, advice and skills to live well with diabetes. Within the team different members have different expertise to help you with this 24/7 responsibility. At each visit you will therefore see one or more different team members, based on what you or we think you need at that time. The diabetes doctor may not always be included, but the whole CMSA Diabetes Team is always behind you.

We are living in the middle of a diabetes epidemic. We strive to help as many patients with diabetes as we can and to do so we ask each patient's PRIMARY DOCTOR to help as much as possible. If you are doing well, we may ask you to come back to see us only if you have a problem, and to work with your primary doctor in the meantime. Remember, however, that we are always here to back you up, even if we had not seen you for a number of years. To contact us for a problem click here.

What to bring to all your visits:

YOU NEVER NEED TO FAST, so eat your normal meals

Pre-diabetes &
Related Metabolic Disorders

Nobody wants to get diabetes, but can it prevented? Fortunately diabetes does not just start one day, but early problems can be found even in childhood – years before actual diabetes starts.

People who are on their way to developing diabetes are often said to have Insulin Resistance. Other terms used include:
• Metabolic Syndrome
• Pre-diabetes

Other diseases that are highly related are:
• Previous Gestational Diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
• Hyperlipidemia (abnormal blood cholesterol and / or triglycerides)
• Overweight & obesity

Many who have
• Heart Disease (angina, heart attack)
• Stroke or mini-stroke
• High blood pressure
• Gout
• Certain forms of liver disease
• Certain forms of cancer
may also have diabetes or be on their way to diabetes.

The diabetes team at CMSA are expert at dealing with these issues, so if you are looking for help, please make an appointment with one of the diabetes team members by calling 814-234-8800.

Patient Information

Knowledge is power, and we pride ourselves on teaching our patients as much as possible about their illnesses, to enable them to live well despite their health problems.
On the left menu on this page you can download some of our patient education materials. Note, however, that these are an adjunct to what we teach in the clinics and we cannot be responsible for their use by those who are not our patients. Our patients who have questions may contact us or speak to us at your next office visit. These files are in pdf format and will require Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free program, to view and print.