New Hanover Regional Medical Center and the Diabetes Bus Initiative are offering free classes to help diabetics better manage their condition, a hospital spokesman said.

The three-part series is taught by certified diabetes instructors and will focus on how to manage blood glucose levels through monitoring and choosing appropriate foods, along with how to prevent diabetes from affecting feet, eyes, kidneys and heart health.

Classes are based on a model developed by The Diabetes Bus Initiative that promotes a comfortable rapport and uses a non-threatening approach to diabetes self-management. The curriculum incorporates practical diabetes skills, lifestyle goals that measurably impact diabetes outcomes, and peer support that empowers participants as they learn together as a group, the spokesman said.

New classes begin each month. Physician referral is required.