LUTCHER — St. James Parish Hospital is hosting a “Diabetic Dine-In” Nov. 17 in celebration of National Diabetes Awareness Month.

Diabetics and pre-diabetics are invited to the seminar, which offers the latest diabetes education from Lutcher Family Clinic Physician Dr. Cullen Ocmond in addition to free screenings, cooking demonstrations and wound care and diet information.

The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Community Education Room located in the medical plaza next to St. James Parish Hospital. Free screenings are optional and include blood sugar (must have fasted for at least two hours), cholesterol, blood pressure, BMI and waist circumference.

Attendance is free and open to diabetics and pre-diabetics. Space is limited. Visit sjph.org/events to RSVP. If you do not have computer access, call 225-258-5952.

As cited by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal.

Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose or sugar for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies.

When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should.

This causes sugar to build up in your blood. Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and lower-extremity amputations.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

The CDC also states a person with pre-diabetes has a blood sugar level higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. He or she is at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, including heart disease and stroke.