I have been with Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities since 2014, engaging in every workshop and gathering that I heard about. In August 2014, my results detected that I have Type 2 diabetes— displaying borderline health conditions for me at that point. My family physician sent me to Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities (SCHC) to consult with Mariella Fortugno, my dietitian/social worker, to guide me through a routine to achieve my blood sugar and blood pressure targets. Mariella was the main root of teaching me everything about diabetes, and the lifestyle changes, the portioning, and all that came along with it since the beginning of my time with her. My experience at the Markham and Lawrence location and Mariella’s engaging programs and workshops where she gathered people as we learned about vitamins were very informative. At the hub location (Brimley and Eglinton), I was under the care of my nurse, Sharmini, and dietitian, Arshad, who is very accommodating to me with their assistance.
To discuss the strictness of my diet, I consume my fruits numerically to balance the serving, which includes 11 grapes and 11 cherries in a day, and limited consumption of rich fruits such as bananas (only half of a banana a day) and no mangoes.
In the past three decades the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has risen dramatically in countries of all income levels. About 422 million people worldwide have diabetes, the majority living in low-and middle-income countries, and 1.6 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes each year. Both the number of cases and the prevalence of diabetes have been steadily increasing over the past few decades.” (World Health Organization, 2020 Diabetes Report) Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities (SCHC) is dedicated to meeting the diverse, holistic health needs of the communities of Scarborough by addressing the physical, mental, social, financial and environmental aspects of their health.
In August 2014, Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities' (SCHC) Diabetes Education Program was granted recognition by the Canadian Diabetes Association's Standards Recognition Review Committee for successfully meeting the Standards for Diabetes Education in Canada (2015), which allowed the community health centre to continue assisting and treating individuals with Type 1 and Type 1 Diabetes and offered numerous workshops to educate patients who are keen to learn more in a community-based setting.
To learn more about the Diabetes program please visit here and to watch some of their webinars please visit here.
Sources:
https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes
http://www.centraleastlhin.on.ca/newsandevents/TellaStory_f/CollaborationenhancingdiabetescareinCentralEastLHIN.aspx
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/scarborough-centre-for-healthy-communities-diabetes-education-program-receives-formal-recognition-591172811.html