The Tumbler Ridge Health Fair on Saturday, September 26 promises to offer residents many ways to learn about and improve their health. The organizers have lined up an impressive array of booths and speakers.
One of the themes this year is the potential remission of Type 2 Diabetes. Residents will be able to have their HbA1C checked (a measure of glucose levels over the preceding three months), along with blood pressure and waist circumference. They can then have their ‘eGDR’ (estimated glucose disposal rate) calculated, which is a measure of their level of insulin resistance, prediabetes or diabetes. This vitally important information can then be used to make changes, ideally long before they ever become diabetic. Prevention is better than cure! Participants will also be offered screening for kidney disease, which is often silent.
These interventions are of great importance, because we are not only in trouble healthcare-wise in Tumbler Ridge, but the diabetes epidemic is increasing all over the world, and it is because of what we eat nowadays. Although medications are seen by many is the answer, going as far ‘upstream’ as possible is often the key, and that involves using the best available evidence to change what and how we eat. And, surprise, that will also often decrease our risk of developing not just diabetes but also dementia and mental health problems.
Tumbler Ridge is of pivotal importance in this: it has been selected as a pilot site for the Type 2 Diabetes Remission Initiative by the Institute for Personalised Therapeutic Nutrition, and funding has been secured (though the Shared Care initiative and the South Peace Mackenzie Trust) for a pilot project. Currently the position of a Health Navigator has been posted, and applicants are being interviewed. It is hoped that the successful candidate will be introduced to the community at the Health Fair. Collaboration with the Northern Nations Wellness Centre in Chetwynd will play a prominent role in getting this project going, as we have a great deal in common with their approach. We in Tumbler Ridge might be struggling with physician numbers and our ER hours, but we can still be a global leader in some ways!
Tumbler Ridge Secondary School is getting on the act too, with medical student Chris Xi addressing students on Friday September 25 on Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis, prevention, and his successful use of a food-first approach. Type 2 Diabetes is increasing being diagnosed in teenagers, so it makes sense to get this information to where it is needed and try to engage young people in the discussion.
Expect to see some old, friendly faces at the Health Fair: Dr Akanegbu, the founder of the idea, former head nurse Barb Schuerkamp (checking blood pressure), and Pharmacist Charissa Tonnesen (checking HbA1C). Dr Anurag Singh will be coming all the way from Prince George to tell us about kidney health and the Hybrid Care project (another pilot project for which Tumbler Ridge has been selected), and Dietitian Jordan Thompson has kindly agreed to speak to us on what we all need to do to smarten up. Our organizer-friends Jenna McQueen and Michelle Tonn from the South Peace Division of Family Practice and Primary Care Network will be on hand to guide the proceedings.
Please come out and support the Tumbler Ridge Health Fair!
