Group has worked with students for more than 20 years
May 05, 2009 - 12:34 PM
By Crystal Crimi
DURHAM -- She asked, and she received.
Marlene Grass, of the Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre, asked for a show of support from the Durham District School Board and will soon be getting it through a letter she can include in her brochure.
"Thank you and your organization for what you are doing for our children," said Oshawa Trustee Larry Jacula, the board's chairman.
The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre for Children and Youth provides education and support programs for teachers, students, and those caring for kids with type 1 diabetes. It has been operating in Durham for 20 years.
"I can probably count on one hand the amount of schools we haven't been to," Ms. Grass said during her presentation to the Durham District School Board's May 4 standing committee meeting.
When kids with type 1 diabetes go to school, they take their condition with them, she said. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn't produce insulin.
"All these kids require insulin for life," Ms. Grass said.
Type 1 diabetes is also on the increase in Durham, she added.
Whenever the centre receives a new student, its representatives go to their school and talk to staff involved with the student and do a class presentation. The student with type 1 diabetes needs a loaded kit for treating low blood sugar, and education needs to be provided about the use of insulin pumps.
The centre tries to pare down the responsibilities to keep children safe, Ms. Grass said, and encourages classes to work in snacks for everyone throughout the day.
"We don't want the student with diabetes to be isolated when they're having their snack," she said.
Although they're already in the schools, Ms. Grass was seeking some kind of support, other than money, just to acknowledge the work the centre does and include it in its brochure.
The issue of type 1 diabetes is close to Pickering Trustee Chris Braney's heart, he said.
"Staggering, it's an epidemic almost," Trustee Braney said of the increase of type 1 diabetes.
Whitby Trustee Christine Winters has heard good reviews from parents about the Charles H. Best Centre, she said.
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