Diabetes Association opens new centre

Today is World Diabetes Day and with perhaps as many as twenty percent of the population affected by the disease, Belizeans would do well to take notice. This afternoon a new diabetes centre was opened in Belize City and News 5’s Jacqueline Woods was there.

Beth McBride, President, B.D.A.

“To have a building we can contact people everyday. We can be open and people can come in at anytime and get information during business hours. We could do education more readily, rather than waiting for our monthly meeting, the third Saturday of every month. People can come in anytime.”

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting

The building has been a dream for the Belize Diabetes Association since it was formed in July 1992.

Beth McBride

“We”ll be doing blood testing and giving out information about diabetes. And we can actually set up education classes for individuals or for groups.”

Today, B.D.A. has a membership of close to a hundred and there are plans to hold recruitment drives throughout the country. Sylvia Johnson, who has been living with diabetes for the past seven years, says she has been able to manage the disease without complications.

Sylvia Johnson

“I don’t let stress bother me, because that’s the thing that takes your sugar. So if any little problem come across you, have to forget about it, throw it over your shoulder, because if you let stress worry you, well you’re going to lay where you don’t want to go.”

Catherine Santos, also a diabetic, is B.D.A.’s secretary and treasurer. Santos says because the association did not have a facility of its own, it was difficult for members to remain committed to the group’s activities.

Catherine Santos

“It gives you hope, it gives you vision, and we have a lot of good ideas. The only thing right now, members are few, but we think that we have some hardworking members and if we have a membership drive, there are so many people in Belize that have diabetes, it should become much better one of these days. I think we need more people.”

Beth McBride says one goal the association has is to provide its members with as much assistance as possible, including making medication more affordable for their clients.

Beth McBride

“We are trying to get a company to work with us, to sell glucometers and strips to bring down the cost of testing. Because testing is so important for managing your diabetes, so if we can bring that cost down, that will be a big help.”

You can also help B.D.A. by becoming a member of the Association. Membership cost only twelve dollars a year and McBride says you do not need to be a diabetic in order to join. In fact, the healthy lifestyle promoted by the B.D.A. can benefit all Belizeans. Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.