Family Medicine
Grand Itasca is dedicated to high-quality, patient-centered care for the whole person and the whole family. Our family medicine providers serve patients at all stages of life, providing general medical care, obstetrics and gynecology services, treatment of chronic and acute conditions, referrals to social services and more.
The Family Medicine providers at Grand Itasca take a collaborative, team-based approach to patient care. They are locally connected and proud of the fact that excellent health care is as accessible as the great outdoors in Grand Rapids. Each of our providers are passionate about improving health outcomes and quality of life for their patients, friends, neighbors and community members in our service area.
Specialty Referrals
When the need arises, we can refer to the specialized medical resources of other Grand Itasca specialists, or even tap into the specialized medical resources at the University of Minnesota and other regional health care organizations to benefit our patients, and continue to manage their care as necessary.
Nutrition
Our outpatient registered dietitian provides individualized counseling to help improve your health through the most current research in medical nutrition therapy. By guiding you in the development of realistic, achievable nutrition goals, our team can help optimize your overall health.
Our registered dietitian ensures you are equipped to achieve your goals by assisting you in the process of understanding how to make long-term changes and providing positive encouragement and support throughout your journey towards a healthier you.
Nutrition consultations can also help patients who are managing long-term or chronic conditions such as allergies, diabetes, celiac disease, weight issues, kidney disease, Guillain-Barre Syndrome or diverticulitis.
What patients can expect from a consultation with an outpatient dietitian
- Evidence-based medical nutrition therapy
- Individualized counseling and guidance
- Patient-centered education
- Positive reinforcement
- Goal development
- Helpful handouts
Diabetes
Quick Facts
- More than 10% of the U.S. population are living with some form of diabetes.
- Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5-10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes, affecting approximately 1.6 million people in the U.S. It is caused when an “onset” event, such as extreme illness or high fever, destroys the pancreas’ ability to produce insulin. People with Type 1 require synthetic insulin to stabilize blood sugar.
- The vast majority (90-95%) of people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes. They do make insulin, but their bodies are resistant to it. Medication, diet and exercise help stabilize blood sugar.
- Gestational diabetes affects 2-10% of pregnant women, who are later more prone to developing Type 2 at some point in their life.
- Pre-diabetes is a condition where blood sugars are higher than normal, but lower than the official threshold to diagnose diabetes. As of 2020, about 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. had prediabetes.
We're Here For You
Managing Blood Sugar
Many things can cause blood glucose levels to rise or fall, and some of them may surprise you:
- Illness
- Stress
- Exercise
- Caffeine
- Lack of sleep
- Dawn phenomenon (blood sugar spikes in early AM)
- Diet/types of foods
- Timing or amount of food/drinks
- Timing or dosing of medication (including insulin)
Your Grand Itasca care team can work with you to minimize blood sugar fluctuations that may cause these types of symptoms
How Do We Help?
Our providers and Diabetes Educator work together to help patients with:
- Diagnosis and patient/family education
- Type 2 medication management
- Insulin therapy, including insulin pump management
- Properly managing blood glucose levels
- Monitoring Hemoglobin A1C levels (3-month blood glucose average)
- Improving overall health through diet and exercise
- Best practices to avoid long-term complications
- Connection to other patients who also have diabetes via our Diabetes Support Group
Conditions We Treat
- Concussion Evaluation And Management
- Diabetes Education
- Foot Care
- Insulin
- Vaccines
- Annual Physicals
- Back to School Physicals
- Chronic Disease Management
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Preventative Care
Find a Provider
Our trusted providers are here to deliver compassionate, high-quality care that’s close to home.
View Our Providers