Diabetes Screen a great success
On Saturday, March 10th, 2012, Rotary Central partnered with the Health Services Authority (HSA) to carry out a major diabetes screening event to test the nation. This event was free and was open to children, adults, diabetics and the seemingly healthy individuals. Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Rotarians, and volunteers were posted at major supermarkets to offer the free tests which were embraced by the community. The free diabetes screening was carried out at all major supermarket locations due to the kind cooperation of all of the following locations: A.L. Thompson’s, Cost U Less, Foster's Airport, Foster's Strand, Foster's Countryside, Foster's Republix, Hurley's Supermarket and Kirk Supermarket.
Almost 700 individuals were screened.
15 were newly diagnosed diabetics (three were urgently referred to the emergency room because of their extremely high blood sugar levels).
30 uncontrolled diabetics were screened (two of which were urgently referred to the emergency room because of their extremely high blood sugar levels). Because of the presence of doctors at the screening locations, non diabetic conditions were also identified and applicable referrals were made for medical management. 30 individuals were identified as having very significant risk factors for being diabetics. These individuals will be contacted and offered the conclusive HbA1c test which will report the individuals’ blood sugar range over the past three months. This will also be funded by Rotary Central.
Further screenings will be done in East End at a later date. A screening event at North Side is also being considered because of the multiple requests/inquiries received. Since the beginning of the Rotary year, almost 800 individuals have been screened.
The prevalence of diabetes continues to increase at an alarming rate worldwide. It is expected that during the 21st century, this chronic lifestyle disease will affect one in every three people of the islands of the Caribbean. Fifty seven million people in the U.S. are highly predisposed to having diabetes. The number of persons in the Cayman Islands who are highly predisposed to diabetes or who have already been diagnosed as diabetics is unknown. People with high risk factors are five to six times more likely to develop diabetes over time. Having high risk factors of diabetes increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, although not as much as diabetes does. Rotary Central is in the early stage of compiling a diabetic electronic data base.
Rotary Central hopes that its diabetes initiatives will sensitize the public about the prevalence of the disease within the Cayman community and what part each person can play in minimizing its occurrence since diabetes is not like a switch that gets turned on and off -- healthy one day, diabetic the next.