The American Diabetes Association estimates that. 4,200,000 people in the United States have the chronic illness diabetes mellitus. Another 1,600,000 undiagnosed diabetes diabetics and 5,600,000 potential diabetics are thought to exist. The patient with diabetes mellitus needs long term medical care and adequate education to carry out the prescribed program of medical care. The provision of this long-term medical care and adequate medical education in medical centers caring for large numbers of diabetic patients can be a major problem. The following describes one such West Coast medical center and its program for the care and education of patients with diabetes mellitus.