10 in 10: Diabetes Care Complex critical to Dream Foundation mission

From the time they arrived from Montreal before the 2005 season, the Nationals have been a mainstay in the Washington, D.C., sports scene. But the Nats are also very active in the community, working diligently over the past decade to touch the lives of many in the region and proving that baseball has a further reach than wins and losses, balls and strikes, batters and pitchers. Each Thursday through mid-August, MASNsports.com's Byron Kerr will explore the Nationals' community outreach efforts, showing how far their reach has extended and how deeply committed to Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area the Nationals are.

One of the Nationals Dream Foundation's major initiatives is the Diabetes Care Complex located on the first floor of the Children's National Health System in Washington, D.C.

The Diabetes Care Complex offers a multi-disciplinary approach to support children with diabetes and their families. With state-of-the-art treatment rooms and a multi-functional education center, the facility houses classrooms, a media room, a demonstration kitchen, computer kiosks and various other tools to empower families battling diabetes.

Dr. Fran Cogen, an endocrinologist and director of the Washington Nationals Diabetes Care Complex, along with one of her patient's family members who knew the Lerners, pitched the idea to principal owner Marla Lerner Tanenbaum at a Bethesda restaurant in 2007. Tanenbaum loved the idea of helping those with diabetes, especially those who have been discovered to have Type I diabetes at a very young age. By focusing on Type I patients, the facility reaches 85 percent of children who have diabetes.

"I had been thinking about this for quite some time, about constructing and actual infrastructure, so to speak, so that we could house our diabetes program, which was quite multi-disciplinary and expansive," Cogen said. "It's like building a home for what you already have and allowing patients to be able to seize the diabetes and endocrinology department, but also associated specialties such as ophthalmology and cardiology.

"I always wanted to do this. The hospital said, 'Look, if you really want to do this and can raise funds we're OK with it.' "

Tanenbaum gave the go ahead and the construction began. The center opened in September 2013. Cogen said the partnership with the Nationals has been a perfect way to help children stay healthy and to learn how to combat and live with a disease such as diabetes.

"It is a wonderful marriage because you're marrying exercise and diabetes and healthy baseball players - and also it's the Nats, it's Washington," Cogen said. "It's our baseball team and we're the Children's National Medical Center and (they) are the Washington Nationals."

Unfortunately, Cogen said, most families have been or know someone who has been touched by diabetes. One of the many obstacles that a patient with diabetes has to learn is how to manage the disease. The earlier they know how to work with the disease and learn to live a normal life again, the better their quality of life can be.

"There is a lot that goes on with these kids, especially the ones that get insulin," Cogen said. "It's pervasive, it's throughout (their day), every time they eat, every activity they do. It's huge to have a multi-disciplinary support system for these kids that have these kinds of chronic illnesses."

The Diabetes Care Complex has many advantages to a central location in the medical center, including classrooms, a kitchen and a media room. Cogen said the media room has allowed his staff to reach out and help other hospitals around the region.

"We have a telemedicine setup where I actually at the moment see patients via telemedicine across the Chesapeake Bay at Peninsula Regional Hospital," Cogen explained. "The reason I do that is there is no pediatric diabetologist or endocrinologist on the Eastern Shore."

With the complex open less than two years, Cogen has seen it help a great amount of patients and their families who are battling diabetes.

"We've had 10,000 visits and we've had a 16 percent increase," Cogen said. "Once they see the place and see what we offer, the environment is really wonderful. People are hearing more and more about us."

Cogen said the support of the Nationals to the Diabetes Care Complex has been tremendous. Just last Friday, Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and reliever Aaron Barrett visited the facility and offered guidance on exercise and healthy eating to the pediatric patients.

"The Nationals have been an incredible partner to us," Cogen said. "You see on the Jumbotron that they talk about us. Marla has been very generous with talking us up. I think we have a lovely relationship with the Nats."