Pikeville Medical Center is growing to meet the needs of diabetes patients throughout the region. The Big Sandy Area Development District has a concentrated population of diabetes compared to the rest of the state, and is the sixth leading cause of death in Kentucky. PMC has many programs in place to education and support its diabetic patient population, including Diabetes Education Self-Management classes. These classes are American Diabetes Association Recognized, which assures it has met the National Standard for Diabetes Self-Management Education. This class teaches 10 core content areas in a six hour class, broken up into two three-hour periods over two days. It is by physician order only and restricted to diagnosed diabetics and covered by most insurance. For more information about the Diabetes Education programs, call 606-218-3513 to speak with a diabetes educator.