SHELBY - David Almond, RN, at Cleveland Regional Medical Center’s Diabetes Center of Excellence, has achieved Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) status by successfully completing the Certification Examination for Diabetes Educators.

Candidates must meet rigorous education and professional practice experience requirements to be eligible to take the examination, including 1,000 hours of diabetes education experience. Achieving the CDE credential demonstrates to patients and employers that the health care professional possesses distinct and specialized knowledge, thereby promoting quality care for patients with diabetes. Currently, there are just over 16,000 CDEs nationwide. CRMC’s Diabetes Center has six Certified Diabetes Educators - a major accomplishment for a hospital and community this size.

Almond, of Shelby, has been employed with CRMC since November 2006 as a registered nurse. He has six years experience as a nurse and serves as a Diabetes Nurse Educator for the outpatient diabetes education program, which is accredited by the American Diabetes Association.

For more information, call the Diabetes Center at (980) 487-3953.