My Involvement with Diabetes in Iowa
By Ed Hertko, M.D.

I was born, raised and went to school in Illinois. In 1949, I was interviewed prior to getting into the University of Illinois Medical School and was asked "Why do you want to become a doctor?". My answer at that time was more involved, however I stated that I wanted to help people with diabetes due to the fact that my mother was a Type 2 diabetic at that time and subsequently dies of diabetic complications in 1959. I also had several aunts and uncles with Type 2 diabetes, and my brother developed Type 2 diabetes approximately 15-20 years ago. At this time, I am not a diabetic.

When I cam to Iowa in 1960, one of the first things that my partners of the Internal Medical Clinic asked me to do was take care of people with diabetes. It was almost as if God had heard me say it in 1949 that I would like to help people with diabetes, and now 11 years later, he is telling me, Okay Ed, go ahead and do it. Therefore, I became involved with diabetes teaching classes, which were held as an outpatient and at several locations, such as the Commission for the Blind on 4th Avenue in Downtown Des Moines. I was also appointed coordinator for the state of Iowa for the American Diabetic Association by Dr. Robert Hardin, however at that time, there was nothing to coordinate. We began the Iowa Diabetes Association in the middle of the 1960's and it was incorporated by the state of Iowa in 1968. In that same year, I asked individuals why didn't we have a camp for children with diabetes? Their response was "Why don't you go ahead and start one?". Therefore, we did. This first camp was held at the 4-H Camp in Madrid, Iowa, and we had 37 children. Since that time, the camp has grown continuously, and in the year 2001, we had 255 children in camp, all at the same time. Along with the children, we had 65 volunteers, including doctors, nurses, dieticians, pharmacists, counselors, etc.. The camp has become so large that it has become unwieldy, so for this year, 2002, we are splitting the week long camp into two weeks, and separating the children. The older children will be from June 30 through July 6, and the younger children from July 7 through July 13.

The camp experience is tremendous for the children because of the fact that it is not unusual for a child from a town or school to be the only one there that has diabetes. Therefore, they come to camp to discover that there are other children who have the same disorder and they develop a tremendous comradery. While they are in camp, we do some education on how they should live with their diabetes and at the same time, they also have a week of FUN!

In addition to my involvement with the diabetic children's camp, I have also been involved in diabetes outpatient education. In the early 1980's, I was involved in having a law passed to cover diabetic outpatient education, however, it was not mandated. After Medicare decided to cover outpatient diabetes education, we again brought this subject back to the legislature in 1999 and got it passed, which is now mandated. I am still deeply involved in the Iowa Diabetes Coalition and we will probably go back to the legislature next year to get coverage of patients with diabetes in the state of Iowa, which would mimic what benefits are covered for people entitled to Medicare.

I helped found the Central Iowa Diabetes Education Center for the Iowa Methodist Medical Center in the early 1980's, and it was the first outpatient education center in the state. After leaving that center, I also set up the Midwest Diabetes Center and Midwest Diabetes Foundation under which I was in private practice and also did diabetes outpatient education.

I am still involved in diabetes in the state of Iowa and as such, I still do lecturing regarding the subject.

I have also established a Hertko Hollow Children's Diabetes Camp Foundation in order to get funding from individuals, corporations, and all other entities to help build an endowment that would generate enough funds that any child with diabetes in the state of Iowa could go to camp and not have to worry about obtaining any type of funding.

If anyone who reads this article would like to volunteer to help at camp to take care of these children, contact the American Diabetes Association, located at 6200 Aurora Avenue, Urbandale, Iowa 50322, 515/276-2237, ext. 6864.

In anyone would like to donate to the Hertko Hollow Children's Diabetes Camp Foundation, they may send donations to the Camp Foundation at P.O. Box 27001, West Des Moines, Iowa 50265.