The Walleye Magazine

Providing Diabetes Care to Northwestern Ontario

By Caitlund Davidson, Health Promotion and Communications Planner, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body cannot produce insulin or cannot use insulin properly. Insulin regulates the amount of sugar in our blood. Our bodies require sugar for energy, but too much sugar in our blood can cause damage to our organs.

According to a recent report by Diabetes Canada, about 10% of Ontarians are living with diabetes. While people with diabetes make up only a small percentage of Ontario’s population, Northwestern Ontario has more people suffering from the illness than the provincial average.

There are different types of diabetes and they range in severity. The Centre for Complex Diabetes Care (CCDC) at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) provides care to adults with diabetes in Northwestern Ontario who require intensive management. Approximately 15% of people living with diabetes fall into this category.

“Diabetes affects the population of Northwest Ontario at a higher incidence than the rest of the province,” explains Jacqueline Veneruz, manager of diabetes care and bariatric medicine programs at TBRHSC. “People living with diabetes may require different levels of support for learning how to live with and manage this chronic condition. The CCDC aims to provide this support based on the individual needs and personal goals of each patient.”

The CCDC serves the Northwest region from White River to the Manitoba border with two physical locations: in Thunder Bay, at the TBRHSC, and Sioux Lookout, at the Meno Ya Win Health Centre. To make the program more accessible to those living across the region, phone or telemedicine visits are done to provide this health care service closer to home. Patients are referred to the CCDC by a primary care provider (physician or nurse practitioner) and will be accepted if they meet the criteria for intensive management.

“Patients eligible for CCDC services may be experiencing barriers to accessing health care, like geography, language, mobility challenges, or lack of a primary care provider, have other medical conditions related to diabetes, have high blood sugar or frequently visit the hospital for reasons related to diabetes,” Veneruz says.

Since other illnesses can also lead to increased blood sugar, the CCDC provides services to adults admitted to TBRHSC. This service contributes to in-hospital services by assisting with in-hospital diabetes management, and ensuring patients have the resources and follow-up they need when discharged.

Patients referred to the CCDC will receive care from a multidisciplinary team of specialized practitioners that support them in managing diabetes during their daily lives. The CCDC team consists of a physician, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, a pharmacist, registered dietitians, a social worker, a psychologist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a foot care specialist, and a wound care specialist. Access to care from the CCDC is available to patients as needed, with the ultimate goal of seeing patients graduate from the program after one year with the knowledge and skills to manage their diabetes.

To learn more, please visit tbrhsc.net.

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