Saint Francis Hospital Earns Recognition from the American Diabetes Association
The ADA’s Education Recognition Program certification ensures quality diabetes education and support for people living with diabetes.
HARTFORD, Conn. (May 21, 2026) – Saint Francis Hospital has been recognized by the American Diabetes Association® (ADA) for providing quality education and support for patients living with diabetes. The ADA, the nation’s leading organization committed fighting diabetes, and its Education Recognition Program (ERP), honored diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) services at Saint Francis and at Trinity Health Of New England Medical Group locations in Enfield and Prospect.
The ADA’s ERP certificate assures that educational services meet the National Standards for DSMES. The corresponding intervention provided is evidence-based and outcome driven. ADA-ERP recognition is valid for four years and services apply for recognition voluntarily.
“DSMES is an essential part of managing diabetes and is as effective as diabetes medication. Therefore, all people with diabetes benefit from it,” said Barbara Eichorst, MS, RD, CDCES, ADA Vice President of Health Programs. “We applaud Saint Francis Hospital for its commitment to providing value-based interventions such as DSMES, maximizing corresponding outcomes and patient experience.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are over 40 million people in the United States with diabetes, with 11 million unaware they have the disease. Each day, nearly 3,300 Americans are diagnosed, with many first learning they have the disease when they are being treated for one of its life-threatening complications, including heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, nerve disease or amputation.
Since 1986, the ADA has been a national accrediting organization for DSMES. Evidence links participation in DSMES to positive changes in health behaviors and improved outcomes, including reduced onset or progression of diabetes-related complications, healthier meal planning, engagement in physical activity, weight management and fewer emergency department visits, hospital admissions and readmissions.
About Saint Francis Hospital
Saint Francis Hospital has been an anchor institution in Connecticut since 1897. Saint Francis is a member of Trinity Health Of New England and Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. Saint Francis Hospital, a Level 1 Trauma Center, is a 617-bed hospital, a major teaching hospital, and the largest Catholic hospital in New England. Other Saint Francis entities include the Comprehensive Women’s Health Center, the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute, the Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute of Connecticut, the Smilow Cancer Hospital Yale-New Haven at Saint Francis, Trinity Health Of New England Medical Group, and Community Health and Well Being, which includes the Curtis D. Robinson Center for Health Equity, the Joan C. Dauber Food Pantry, and the Greater Hartford Family Advocacy Center. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X @SaintFrancisCT
About the American Diabetes Association
Nearly half of American adults have diabetes or prediabetes; more than 40 million adults and children have diabetes; and every 21 seconds, another individual is diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. Founded in 1940, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization whose mission is to prevent and cure diabetes, and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. The ADA drives discovery by funding research to treat, manage and prevent all types of diabetes, as well as to search for cures; raises voice to the urgency of the diabetes epidemic; and works to safeguard policies and programs that protect people with diabetes. In addition, the ADA supports people living with diabetes, those at risk of developing diabetes, and the health care professionals who serve them through information and programs that can improve health outcomes and quality of life. For more information, please call the ADA at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit diabetes.org. Information from both of these sources is available in English and Spanish. Find us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter/X (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn).