New diabetes centre offers education, support and resources for diabetes patients
Surrey: The Health and Technology District is pleased to announce the grand opening of Canada’s first Medtronic Resource Centre for patients with diabetes. A public grand opening will take place Wednesday, June 14th at 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 13737 96th Avenue, Surrey.
Located on the main floor of the City Centre 1 building at the Health and Technology District across from Surrey Memorial Hospital, the new Medtronic Resource Centre offers education, support, and other resources as an extension of what Medtronic currently offers to local health care professionals and the patients they support who rely on insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technologies for their Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
“The Health and Technology District is the prime location to locate our Medtronic Resource Centre especially given its proximity to Surrey Memorial Hospital,” says Laura Cameron, Director of the Diabetes Group at Medtronic Canada. “Our Centre will enable our customers access the resources, education, and training they need in a community setting, where they can also network with and learn from one another.”
The Medtronic Resource Centre will offer insulin pump classes, lessons on CGM, and understanding the software; it will educate patients on carb counting, travel best practices etc.; it will provide networking opportunities; and will offer personalized one-on-one time with certified insulin pump trainers.
“We are so pleased to have Medtronic base their first Medtronic Resource Centre here at the Health and Technology District where patients interested in insulin pumps and CGMs can come learn and educate themselves about diabetes,” says Rowena Rizzotti, Vice President of Healthcare and Innovation at the Health and Technology District. “The District is a hub of healthcare environments where organizations, patients and clinicians work in partnership to accelerate healthcare technologies and help improve the lives of everyone.”
British Columbia Diabetes Statistics:
- In 2017, an estimated 29 per cent of British Columbians (or 1.5 million) have either diabetes or prediabetes, and this number is expected to increase to 32 per cent or 1.9 million.
- BC experienced 74 per cent increase in diabetes prevalence over the last 10 years. By 2027, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes is projected to grow by another 44 per cent.
- Some populations are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes, such as those of South Asian, Asian, African, Hispanic or Aboriginal descent, those who are overweight, older or have low income.
- BC is home to 33 per cent of Chinese, 20 per cent of South Asians, 17 per cent of Southeast
Asians and Indigenous people in Canada. Chinese people make up over 10 per cent of the provincial population
Fraser Health Region Diabetes Statistics ii:
- Home to 38 per cent of all known diabetics in BC, Fraser Health has the highest age standardized prevalence rate of diabetes mellitus in the province.
- Surrey and Abbotsford local health areas (LHA) have the largest proportion of diabetics among Fraser Health LHAs, which may be due in part to the large South Asian populations residing in those areas.
“I have been living with Type 1 Diabetes for 32 years and started on my first insulin pump almost 17 years ago —it has given me so much freedom and better blood sugar control than multiple daily injections. More recently, I have been wearing CGM on a regular basis which has resulted in the best A1C I have had in years,” said Jodie Steen, an insulin pump user. “I am really looking forward to the opportunity to connect with others living with T1D at the Medtronic Resource Centre, as well as having access to experts in Pump technology at my convenience.”
Medtronic Canada is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, and is a subsidiary of Medtronic plc, which is one of the world’s largest medical technology, services and solutions companies — alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 88,000 people worldwide serving physicians, hospitals and patients in approximately 160 countries.
