Meet Our Expert Registered Dietitian Team
Join Us for in-person Prediabetes Classes & Diabetes Support Group Events at Mahaska Health!
The class and support group are meant for those:
*Diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes
*Who need to learn or review self-management skills
*Who desire better blood sugar control
*Who have a family member with prediabetes or diabetes
Classes are taught by Mahaska Health Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, Lea Rice, RD, LDN, CDCES, and Nicole Palmquist, RDN, LD.
Prediabetes Classes:
Wednesday, August 24th, 10AM-11AM
Tuesday, November 1st, 3PM-4PM
Please RSVP to: Lea Rice RD, LDN, CDCES, at 641-672-3303, or Nicole Palmquist, RDN, LD, at 641-672-3254
Diabetes Support Group:
3PM-4PM
August 30th: Reducing Risk
September 20th: Being Active
October 25th: Holiday Season Eating
November 29th: Diabetes Distress
Please RSVP to: Lea Rice RD, LDN, CDCES, at 641-672-3303, or Nicole Palmquist, RDN, LD, at 641-672-3254

All classes and support group events are free! Location: Meeting Room, Door #1, 1229 C Ave E, Oskaloosa, IA 52577. All class and support group participants are required to wear a mask inside the hospital.
At Mahaska Health, we are dedicated to helping you stay healthy. See how our classes can make the difference!
Expert Care
Lea Rice, RD, LDN, CDCES (Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist), provides Diabetes Education to individuals or groups to learn how to manage their disease and works closely with you to develop a personalized eating plan specific to your unique goals and needs.
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Pre-diabetes
- Gestational diabetes mellitus
- Continuous glucose monitoring
Fees and Payment Options
Fees for Diabetes Education or counseling by a Registered Dietitian may be covered by insurance and may also require a referral from your primary care provider. Our dietitian can assist you in obtaining this referral. Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance and private pay are all accepted.
Location:
Registered Dietitian Lea Rice’s office is best accessed by entering through entrance #4.
A focused, and comprehensive nutrition therapy service provided to both individuals and inpatients.
- CKD
- Weight management/obesity
- Hypertension
- Heart disease/cardiovascular diseases
- Pediatrics
- Failure to Thrive / Underweight
- Food Allergies
A treatment for obesity helping to change eating and exercise habits for weight loss.
- We offer a one-year program (22 sessions) if criteria are met.
Resources
ADCES7 Self-Care Behaviors- The Framework for Optimal Self-Management
Publications ADCES Diabetes Education Curriculum: A Guide to Successful Self-Management, 2nd Edition.
A person-centered approach to diabetes, prediabetes and cardiometabolic care means acknowledging the whole person in the context of life and relationships. The ADCES7- healthy coping, healthy eating, being active, taking medication, monitoring, reducing risk, problem solving- form the framework for diabetes care and education specialists to partner with their patients with diabetes, prediabetes and cardiometabolic conditions to support informed decision making.

Why the DASH eating plan works: Scientific studies show that following DASH and eating less sodium can help you lower your blood pressure and LDL cholesterol.
A Week With the DASH Eating Plan: The DASH eating plan requires no special foods and has no hard-to follow recipes.
Are you at risk for diabetes? Take this diabetes risk test
More than 30 million people in the United States have diabetes, and according to the CDC, “In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese.”
You do not have to face diabetes alone. Mahaska Health is here to help. We devote significant resources to helping families prevent and control diabetes by providing education and support. Our Certified Diabetes Educators conduct counseling, teach classes, and lead support groups to assist those living with diabetes.
A Registered Dietitian is available for presentations or health fairs for the community. Contact us for more information