Everyone Needs a Little TLC
Guy Riggs
Guy Riggs will be the first to tell you he didn’t feel very well back in late 2011. Though diagnosed with acute asthma and prescribed an inhaler, he was still out of breath, fatigued and experiencing dizziness. It didn’t help that his job as maintenance coordinator at Memorial’s Epworth Center is physically demanding.
Life changed for the better when he met with Tony Zmirski of Beacon’s Team Lead Care (TLC), a free, confidential service to help associates and family members manage chronic illness. As a pharmacist and certified diabetes educator, Tony provides one-on-one education, support and guidance. And by working through TLC, associates receive a discounted co-pay on certain maintenance medications.
During their initial visit, it didn’t take long for Tony to see that Guy wasn’t using his inhaler properly. “Tony showed me the right way to use it.”
When Guy returned a month later, he felt a huge difference. “I wasn’t huffing and puffing anymore. I looked better and I felt better.”
Several months later in 2012, after reviewing his associate wellness report, Tony noticed a pattern of rising blood sugars, so he handed Guy diabetes education materials, a glucometer to test his glucose daily and led him to a nutritionist at Memorial to help overhaul his diet. Most importantly, Tony recommended he see his primary care physician right away—leading to the prediabetes diagnosis.
Guy has since dropped 40 pounds thanks to a healthier diet and increased exercise. The weight loss has helped not only control his pre-diabetic condition, but reduced his asthmatic symptoms. He is able to walk between buildings on the Epworth Center campus without a loss of breath.
“I don’t know where I would be if Tony didn’t show me how to use the inhaler properly and recognize my pre-diabetic condition. He allows you time to ask questions and he is very thorough.”
Tony loves what he’s doing, because he knows the personalized, informative interactions are helping to improve the health of associates.
“I help people better understand their condition, whether that’s diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma or heart disease. Ninety percent of chronic disease is self managed, so I educate and empower our associates to better manage their own health.”
Though he’ll be the first to tell you he’s not a doctor, Tony does help “fill the gaps” by answering questions and being available. And if he sees a problem, he’ll contact the person’s physician.
Need help managing your chronic disease?
Call Team Lead Care at 574.647.5003 or email azmirski@beaconhealthsystem.org.
