Ribbon cutting held for Lohman Diabetes Center that is already filled with patients

DAYTONA BEACH — Slightly less than a year ago, a crowd gathered to unveil the new name of a building on the Halifax Health Medical Center Campus.

The new name was the "Lohman Building," so named because the building would house the new Lohman Diabetes Center of Excellence. The center became reality when Nancy and Lowell Lohman donated $4 million in 2020 to create it.

On Friday, a ribbon cutting was held to officially mark the opening of the diabetes center, which is located on the fifth floor of the Lohman Building. But in actuality the center has been operating all along, and is already reaching patient capacity.

"This ribbon cutting is such an amazing milestone," said Dr. Doonam Kapadia, one of the two endocrinologists at the diabetes center. Looking at the Lohmans, she added, "None of this would have been possible without you two."

Kapadia, and fellow endocrinologist Dr. Sheila Gupta, said the diabetes center has increased the availability of treatment for the thousands of diabetics in Volusia and Flagler counties.

"I have met so many interesting and amazing patients," Kapadia said. "So many are grateful for the resources they didn't have before."

The Lohmans are one of the area's greatest philanthropists, and have donated large sums to other causes in recent years, including the Halifax Humane Society, museums, education efforts, and the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune statue that will soon be placed in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

But the diabetes center donation many be the most personal effort, because Lowell Lohman, 75, has been a type 1 diabetic for the last 56 years of his life. That has meant keeping an extremely close eye on his diet and making sure he's receiving the proper amount of insulin At the ribbon-cutting event, he credited Nancy Lohman with helping him.

"If there's one person in the world a diabetic would like to have as a spouse, it's you," Lowell Lohman said.

Volusia County has a higher-than-average prevalence of diabetes. In Volusia County, 14.2% of adults have diabetes, a ratio of 1 in 7. That compares with 11.8% of the population statewide and 10.5% of the United States population, according to a 2019 Volusia County Community Health Needs Assessment.

"And it's getting worse," Lowell Lohman noted.

Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of blindness in patients under the age of 75, the No. 1 cause of kidney failure, and the leading cause of non-traumatic foot amputations. All of these conditions are preventable with diabetes management.

On Sunday, Halifax Health also held the second annual "Lohman Family Diabetes & Wellness Conference at the News-Journal Center in downtown Daytona Beach. About 150 people attended to hear speakers addressing diabetes-related issues, to get free eye and foot screenings, and to pick up information about treatment.

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