THUNDER BAY – Healthbeat – Centres for Complex Diabetes Care are a key part of the Ontario Diabetes Strategy and support Ontario’s Action Plan for Health Care by providing the right care, at the right time, in the right place. The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is one of the Centres for Complex Diabetes Care in the province.
Centres for Complex Diabetes Care provide a centralized approach to complex diabetes care so people with diabetes and related complications can receive planned and integrated care from a single access point. A specialized team of case managers, nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, social workers, pharmacists and chiropodists help patients manage their diabetes through various supports, including:
• Specialized medical interventions including endocrinology and internal medicine.
• Stabilization and management of blood sugar.
• Nutritional counselling and diet planning.
• Insulin administration and monitoring.
• Retinal/eye monitoring.
• Counselling and mental health supports.
• Monitoring and management of related cardiovascular health needs.
• Foot and wound care.
Centres for Complex Diabetes Care also offer support to primary care providers through education, specialized training and mentoring.
There are six Centres for Complex Diabetes Care in Ontario. The locations were chosen based on the rate of diabetes, complexity of health care needs related to diabetes and availability of existing services in the community.
The six locations are:
• William Osler Health System
• Health Sciences North / Horizon Santé-Nord, formerly Hôpital Régional De Sudbury Regional Hospital
• Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
• Central East Community Care Access Centre in partnership with Lakeridge Health, Peterborough Regional Health Centre and The Scarborough Hospital
• North York General Hospital
• The Credit Valley Hospital and Trillium Health Care Centre