You are using an older version of Internet Explorer that is not supported on this site. Please upgrade for the best experience.
Pediatrics Specialties Endocrinology & Diabetes

Make an Appointment

To learn more about our programs and make an appointment, call 413-794-KIDS (5437).

pedi endo diabetes

Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes

Learn More About What to Expect

Our pediatric endocrine specialists are trained to diagnose and treat a variety of hormone, growth, and gland problems in children – including diabetes.

Board-certified pediatric endocrinologists, pediatric weight management specialists, nurse practitioners, diabetes and endocrine nurse educators, registered dietitians, a child psychologist, and social workers will help you and your family determine the best treatment for your child.

More About Diabetes Care at Baystate Children's Hospital

Conditions We Treat

We provide inpatient and outpatient diagnosis, treatment, education, and support for children with endocrine problems.

Endocrine conditions we treat include:

  • Adrenal disorders — congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Addison’s disease
  • Calcium and vitamin D metabolism
  • Diabetes, both type 1 and type 2
  • Gender dysphoria
  • Growth disorders
  • Hyperlipidemia
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Hypothalamic and pituitary dysfunction
  • Metabolic bone disease
  • Metabolic syndrome and lipid disorders
  • Premature and delayed puberty
  • Sexual differentiation disorders
  • Thyroid dysfunction and thyroid nodules

Our Programs

Our Programs Include:

Pediatric Diabetes Program

Our Pediatric Diabetes Program is accredited by American Association of Diabetes Educators and strives to provide provide exceptional care for children 0- 22 years old with all forms of diabetes, including:

  • Type 1 diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Prediabetes
  • Cystic fibrosis- related diabetes (CFRD)
  • Maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY)
  • Neonatal diabetes
  • Steroid induced diabetes.

Pediatric Weight Management Program

The Comprehensive Pediatric Weight Management Program is a multidisciplinary program for children between two and 22 years old who are clinically obese (BMI> 95% for age). This program offers children and families resources aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Type 2 Diabetes Program

The type 2 diabetes program is a multidisciplinary program dedicated to caring for children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes. The team includes a weight management physician/pediatric endocrinologist, dietitians, certified diabetes educators, psychologists, and social workers. We see patients every 3 months for treatment. We also manage other associated conditions our patients have in addition to diabetes (these are called comorbitities), including liver and kidney disease, high cholesterol, and hypertension. 

Prediabetes Program

In our prediabetes program we emphasize dietary changes to treat kids who are high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Our goal is to catch patients ahead of time, offering treatments to reverse the course of prediabetes.

Patients meet with a dietitian every 2-4 weeks (as opposed to around 8 weeks in regular weight management program) and visit with a pediatric endocrinologist every 3 months. 

Pediatric Cancer Survivorship Program

The pediatric endocrinology team works together with the pediatric cancer care team to provide education and care for your child's cancer diagnosis. We monitor for side effects and track of your child's growth and development after cancer treatment.

Pediatric Gender Program

In Baystate's Pediatric Gender Program, endocrinologists and behavioral health specialists work together to offer compassionate care for gender diverse adolescents. Depending on your child's needs, we offer medication treatment and cross sex hormone therapy.

Patients are eligible for treatment in this program:

  • Once they have reached stage 2 of puberty
  • After they have met with a therapist who specializes in gender dysphoria for 6 months
  • After the therapist and psychologist have written a letter of support confirming the diagnosis of gender dysphoria and recommended treatment

More on transgender care and resources at Baystate Health.

How to Contact Us

Contact us by calling 413-794-KIDS (5437).

Our normal office hours are 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Our team is available to address your questions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you are asked to contact a provider outside of clinic times, you may do so by calling 413-794-KIDS (5437). This is common the first couple of days after diagnosis to address questions, review blood sugars, and consider insulin adjustments. If you do not hear back from the on-call physician within 20 minutes, please call back.

Newly diagnosed patients will be in contact with our team daily for the first one to two weeks.

Patient Portal

To access your child’s health information, message the care team, and request appointments and prescription refills, please sign up for the MyBaystate patient portal.

You can visit mybaystatehealth.org or download the free MyBaystate app on your cell phone.

To sign up, create your own (not your child) username and password. If you are a Baystate patient yourself, follow the prompts to fill out a proxy form for your child. If you are not a Baystate patient, create your account and send back the attached proxy. Please note that access is limited for patients between the ages of 13-18.

For patient portal support, call 413-322-4357 or email MyBaystate@baystatehealth.org.

Diabetes and Endocrine Emergencies

If you have an emergency that cannot and/or should not wait, go to the emergency room or call 911.

If you are not sure whether you need to go to the hospital, please call us:

  • During clinic hours (8 am – 5 pm) call 413-794-5437 and ask to page your pediatric diabetes nurse educator.
  • During evenings or weekends, call 413-794-5437 and ask to page the pediatric endocrinologist on call. If you have any questions after hours in the first few days after diagnosis, please use this number. 

Examples of diabetes emergencies:

  • Severe hypoglycemia
  • Hyperglycemia with moderate or large ketones
  • Vomiting child, unsure of insulin doses
  • A crisis for which you need our immediate help or guidance

Examples of endocrine emergencies:

  • Your child with a diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency (Addison’s disease, hypopituitarism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia) develops fever or vomiting
  • Call our answering service at 413-794-5437 and ask to page a pediatric endocrinologist on call.
  • If your child is unresponsive or has a serious medical emergency, call 911 or take your child to an emergency room.

Blood Sugar Review for Diabetes Patients

To contact us to review blood sugar numbers, you have three options:

  1. Call our answering service at 413-794-5437. Leave a message that you would like to review blood sugar numbers and a nurse will call you back.
  2. Email us
  3. Fax to 413-794-7145

A nurse educator (or fellow with supervision) will review your blood sugars and we will call you back by the end of the day.

Prescription Refills

You can request prescription refills through the MyBaystate patient portal. Prescriptions will be sent to your preferred pharmacy. Please allow up to 48 hours to process refill requests. Please manage your supplies carefully as refill requests should not be made at night or on the weekends.

 

Virtual Diabetes Appointments

How to prepare

Diabetes visits rely heavily on information from pump and sensor downloads. This enables the care team to provide you with any necessary insulin regimen changes.

Please download one day before your appointment so that our clinical staff will be best prepared for your appointment. It is also important that you take the time to review your device downloads prior to the scheduled appointment. This will allow you to be more involved in your care.

If you are unable to download your meter, write down two weeks of blood sugars, take a picture of the log, and upload to the portal.

Downloading instructions

Visit the websites below for instructions on downloading your pump, CGM, or InPen.

Dexcom clarity
1-877-339-2664
If you use a phone as your receiver: Our team can email an invitation to share your child's Dexcom reports so we can access them. Please accept the invitation.

Freestyle Libre Flash CGM
1-855-786-4263

Medtronic carelink (pdf)
1-800-646-4633
To link to our clinic, call our office or go onto the portal to provide us with your carelink account username and password.

Tandem
1-877-801-6901

Omnipod
1-800-206-6601
To link to the clinic, please use code baystatepeds when prompted.

Omnipod DASH

InPen
For help call 844-843-7903
Refer to your InPen app

What is Diabetes?

diabetes graphic

What is Diabetes?

Type 1 Diabetes

Signs of diabetes in children include:

  • Feeling unusually thirsty
  • Urinating more often than usual
  • Weight loss
  • Fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Fruity smell on the breath

Type 1 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes found in children and young adults. This condition occurs when the body does not make enough insulin (a hormone made in the pancreas, an organ inside the abdomen).

Insulin allows the sugar to pass from the blood into the cells. There, it is burned for energy. The body cannot turn sugar into energy without insulin.

When insulin is not available, the sugar builds up on the blood and spills into the urine.

Type 2 Diabetes

When your body makes insulin but is unable to use it the right way to process sugar, you have type 2 diabetes. 

Type 2 diabetes is more common in overweight, obese, and inactive pre-teens and teenagers. 

If you have type 2 diabetes, exercising and managing your diet is very important. 

How Do We Manage Diabetes?

Insulin is given as medication to manage diabetes. When insulin is given, blood sugar levels decrease and glucose can be used as energy to allow the body to function properly.

Diabetes is managed by:

  • Checking your blood sugars
  • Balancing your meals
  • Exercising
  • Adjusting insulin doses

Our Pediatric Diabetes Program is accredited by American Association of Diabetes Educators and strives to provide provide exceptional care for children 0- 22 years old with all forms of diabetes, including:

  • Type 1 diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Prediabetes
  • Cystic fibrosis- related diabetes (CFRD)
  • Maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY)
  • Neonatal diabetes
  • Steroid induced diabetes

What to Expect After Diagnosis

Diabetes Care & Management at Baystate Children's Hospital

A new diagnosis of diabetes can bring a family stress, worry, and other emotions. You are not alone. The Diabetes Care Team at Baystate Children's Hospital is here to care for your child and teach you and your family all you need to know about managing diabetes. We care for over 700 children and families with diabetes in the western Massachusetts region.

First we’ll work with you and your child to diagnose the condition. Then, we’ll begin care right away, providing intensive therapy on an outpatient basis whenever possible. We work closely with you and your child to prevent complications. Our team of specialists also provides training to help you and your child successfully manage diabetes at home and school, with age-appropriate instructions for your child

If you're concerned that your child may have diabetes, talk to your primary pediatrician, who can refer you to the pediatric endocrinology team.

What to Expect After Diagnosis

Here is an overview of what to expect in the first few weeks after your child is diagnosed with diabetes:

  • Two or three separate but detailed teaching visits within the first few days of diagnosis, providing essential information and creating a care plan specific for your child and his/her
    needs
  • A visit one week later for medical management and increased nutrition education and support
  • Follow up visit about 2 weeks later to review blood sugars and labs drawn at diagnosis
  • Follow up visit 1 month later
  • Routine visits for medical management and nutrition every 3 months
  • Please plan for 4-6 hour visits initially.
  • Please plan for intensive support via phone for the first couple weeks, contact information will be exchanged at the initial meeting

How to prepare for your visits:

  • Please pack snacks, meals, and water for you and your child. We do not have dining accommodations on-site.
  • Please make necessary child care arrangements for your other children prior to your visit.
  • We will take the time you need to teach the skills and essential know-how needed for caring for your child with diabetes.

Your Diabetes Care Team

Our expert team includes:

Diabetes Nurse Educators: Diabetes Nurse Educators are registered nurses (RNs) who specializes in teaching families how to care for a child who has been diagnosed with diabetes. You will be spending many hours with your primary diabetes nurse educator to learn the management of your child’s diabetes. The nurse educator will continue to teach and support you in the diabetes program in person as well as through frequent telephone calls. Routine contact will focus on reviewing blood sugar numbers and insulin doses after blood sugars have stabilized and will become a consistent part of your child’s care.

Registered Dietitian: A dietitian is a food and nutrition expert who will meet with you during the first week to develop an individualized nutrition plan of care. She will teach you the skill of carbohydrate counting and provide you with tools that will help you and your family to make healthy lifestyle choices. She will follow your progress and is available to meet with you as needed as your child grows.

Pediatric Endocrinologist: A Pediatric Endocrinologist is a physician who specializes in treating children with diabetes as well as other conditions affecting growth and pubertal development. The Pediatric Endocrinologist will assist the educator at each visit in reviewing blood sugar numbers, adjusting insulin doses, and providing medical oversight.

Pediatric Endocrinology Fellow: A Pediatric Endocrine Fellows are fully trained pediatricians who are completing their training to become Pediatric Endocrinologists. The Pediatric Endocrine Fellow will often see patients during their follow up visits or speak with families via phone for after hour concerns.

Child Life: The Child Life Specialist (CLS) is a trained professional with expertise in helping children and their families overcome life’s most challenging events. With a background in child development and family systems, the CLS promotes effective coping through education, preparation and medical play. The CLS may help in assessing your child’s understanding of diagnosis, clearing up common misconceptions, providing developmentally appropriate recommendations for language and self-expression activities or opportunities.

Social Work: Clinical Social Workers are trained and licensed professionals who have expertise in support and resources. When you're diagnosed, they will interview your and your child to get to know you and your family situation. It’s about helping solve basic issues with daycare providers, school systems, employers, and insurers. It’s about helping you build a supportive network. Diabetes is more than a diagnosis for one child – it affects entire the family. You will gain new knowledge and experience new demands and feelings. The Social Worker can listen, guide and support you along the way.

Medical Assistant: Medical assistants are vital members of our team. They prepare your child for their appointment by obtaining your child’s vital signs and medical history. They assist in downloading your child’s blood glucose meter and insulin pump as well as coordinate additional appointments or tests. They are cross trained in administrative and clinical tasks to help the department run smoothly.

Behavioral Health: Our behavioral health specialists help our families deal with natural emotions such as stress, sadness, anger, and denial which can lead to depression. The mental management of diabetes is just as important as the medical management. You will be offered the opportunity to meet with our behavioral health team.

Our Locations


View All Locations

We use cookies on our website to enhance your experience, to deliver more relevant content, and to improve the quality of our site. By using this website, you are agreeing to cookies being collected in line with our Privacy Policy.