Diabetes specialist hangs shingle in Wasilla

WASILLA — Dr. Samuel Abbate had already been wooed by the beauty and serenity of Alaska before he left Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, in May to come northward.

“I thought, ‘Why not work where you play?’” Abbate said.

So when he opened Adonai Diabetes and Endocrinology Center on East Bogard Road in Wasilla, Abbate gave himself the opportunity to practice in the scenic state where he strongly feels work has yet to be done.

“There certainly is a great need for care because of the large number of people with diabetes in the area,” Abbate said.

A native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1984, Abbate first came to the Northwest when he completed his fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle. When he and his wife, Anne, decided to move to Alaska, the two settled in the Valley because she wasn’t fond of living in the more metropolitan Anchorage.

Barbara Stillwater, coordinator for the Alaska Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, said about 7.2 percent of the Valley’s population has been diagnosed with diabetes, slightly higher than the estimated 6.5 percent of Alaska’s total population affected by the disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports nearly 24 million Americans have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, the two primary classifications for the condition characterized by high blood sugar and lack of penicillin in the body. More than 1.6 million people in America age 20 or older were diagnosed with diabetes last year.

While Alaska ranks in the lower fifth of states with diabetics, Abbate decided to open up Adonai Diabetes and Endocrinology Center since his specialty is unique in the Valley. Abbate started practicing endocrinology, a branch of medicine dealing with the glands and hormones of the body, in 1990.

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center recognizes Abbate’s specialty, he said, and has helped him open his practice at the old West Valley Medical campus. Adonai also has thyroid, osteoporosis and pediatric endocrinology services, but his focus remains on diabetes.

“Diabetes isn’t something we cure, it’s something we manage,” Abbate said.

Diabetes education, Abbate said, plays a key role in combating the disease. He served for six years on the National Diabetes Education Program and on the national board of the American Diabetes Association.

“One of the things I’m fond of saying is doctors and nurses don’t take care of diabetes — people take care of their own diabetes,” Abbate said.

He has a dietitian, two diabetes nurses and a medical assistant on staff for patient care.

Abbate said Adonai Diabetes and Endocrinology Center has two goals. First, to improve the lives of those with diabetes. Second, Abbate’s business will donate some of its proceeds to worldwide health care organizations like Medical Assistance Programs (MAP) International.

“It’s going to places of crisis with medical supplies like sutures and antibiotics that they need,” Abbate said.

Nobody in Abbate’s family has diabetes, which is often a highly hereditary disease. His passion for fighting diabetes, he said, stems from a higher purpose.

“If you spend your life doing something, you should spend it doing something important,” Abbate said.

Adonai Diabetes and Endocrinology Center is open for business Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.