Reppell Diabetes Clinic now part of Baxter Health Specialty Clinics

The Reppell Diabetes Learning Center is now the Reppell Diabetes Clinic, part of the Specialty Clinics at Baxter Regional. According to Jodi Bodenhamer, APRN, CDCES, Reppell Diabetes Education Coordinator, the center began in 1999 as the diabetes education program serving patients from a classroom in the hospital’s Education Building. In June 2006, the facility opened as the Reppell Diabetes Learning Center at its current location on the hospital campus providing support and services to patients with Type 1 and 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes in the hospital’s service area.

Early this year, Bodenhamer became a licensed Advanced Practice Registered Nurse by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing with National Certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Following her APRN licensing and certification, the Reppell Diabetes Learning Center became a diabetes specialty clinic as an outpatient department of Baxter Health.

A member of the Arkansas State Diabetes Advisory Council, Bodenhamer is the only APRN at Baxter Regional and in the hospital’s service area to hold National Certification as a Diabetes Care and Educational Specialist.

In her new role, Bodenhamer said she will be working closely with a diabetic patient’s primary physician. “We are working with, not taking the place of primary care doctors. We take referrals from primary care physicians and accept walk-in patients.

“Before we were able to provide education and support services only. Now we can take the patient’s history, perform physical examinations, develop a treatment plan and write prescriptions." 

The clinic can also provide supplies and equipment including continuous glucose monitors and referrals for insulin pumps. As a certified insulin pump and Omnipod trainer, Bodenhamer can provide training to patients and troubleshoot problems with pumps.

“We are able to help patients obtain treatment equipment and medication that is expensive and hard to get by providing detailed documentation,” said Bodenhamer.

According to Karman Nesbitt, Director of Primary Care Clinics at Baxter Regional, Bodenhamer will be working with the hospital’s primary clinics and traveling to remote sites for support and education sessions. With Jan Halligan, RD, LD, CDCES, Reppell Diabetes Learning Clinic Dietitian, she will continue to provide education classes to individuals and groups including Lunch and Learn sessions, medical nutrition therapy, dietary nutrition, cooking and preventative care. Support groups for patients with Type 2 diabetes and children with Type 1 diabetes and their parents as well as special events and outings for diabetic children will continue at the clinic and other locations.

“We are so proud to have Jodi on our team, for getting her APRN license and being able to provide care to our community,” said Nesbitt.

“I’ve always loved being able to be here for my diabetes patients. Now I can provide a little extra TLC,” said Bodenhamer.

The Reppell Diabetes Clinic is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 8 a.m. to Noon on Fridays, and walk-ins are welcome. After hours are by appointment only. For more information and appointments, call 870-508-1765.