WIKWEMIKONG—Diabetes is a growing health concern in North America and nowhere more so than in First Nations communities where it has been described as being at epidemic proportions. Wikwemikong Chief Duke Peltier has approached local municipalities and First Nations for support in having the province locate a Diabetes Centre of Excellence in his community.
“The idea of a Centre of Excellence came about from the community after we took a look at the available data,” said Chief Peltier. He said that the province has indicated that they will be seeking to establish such centres in the province and he said that the reality of the prevalence of diabetes in Anishinaabe communities clearly indicate that such a centre should be established in a First Nation community. Wikwemikong being the largest indigenous community in Northern Ontario makes it the perfect candidate for such a regional centre, said the chief.
“We have approached the Northeast LHIN (Local Integrated Health Network) to fully explore the identified gaps in the health delivery system in our community,” said Chief Peltier. By creating a Centre of Excellence in a rural community, the province would be able to explore approaches that would be best applicable to rural communities.
Chief Peltier said that his community was therefore soliciting letters of support from neighbouring communities. He pointed out that the Manitoulin Health Centre in Little Current has been building a strong base for triage, emergency response and care while the MHC site in Mindemoya has been building a strong centre for the treatment of cancer on Manitoulin.
“Our goal is to have a variety of treatments available, but more importantly to have the educational opportunities and collaborations amongst health institutions so that people on Manitoulin can receive the best possible support for diabetes management,” he said.
The availability of dialysis support already in place in Northeast Manitoulin and the diabetes education programs available through the auspices of Noojmowin Teg means that a lot of the infrastructure to support such a regional centre of excellence are already in place.
Wikwemikong will be seeking the necessary funding support to explore the feasibility of establishing a regional Diabetes Centre of Excellence in Wikwemikong. “With such a centre, we will be able to identify and confirm the best practices for diabetes management in First Nations and rural communities in the North,” said Chief Peltier, indicating that the establishment of such a centre could have benefits for all Northern rural Northern populations.
