October 2006: Joslin Diabetes Center, the global leader in diabetes research, care and education, has announced its partnership with Acadie-Bathurst Health Authority (ABHA) in New Brunswick, Canada. The new affiliate, which is located at Chaleur Regional Hospital, is Joslin's first Canadian Affiliate.
The new Joslin Affiliate is an Education Affiliate, so all of Joslin's premier education programs and services are shared with the institution. This will complement the endocrine services offered by Dr. Farrukh Khan a board-certified endocrinologist who serves as medical director.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the establishment of a Joslin Diabetes Center Education Affiliate right here in Bathurst is a major coup for residents of the region and the entire population of New Brunswick," stated Gabriel Godin, chair of the ABHA board of trustees.
"According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, more than 5.4 percent of the people in New Brunswick have diabetes, and as many as one-third of the population has diabetes but don�t know they have the disease," said Judith Eyres Goodwin, director of Joslin�s Affiliated Centers Program. "We look forward to working with the professionals at Chaleur Regional Hospital to bring Joslin�s integrated, state-of-the-art education programs and services to people with diabetes and related conditions in the region."
"Our staff have received training from Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston to ensure that they follow the organization's standards closely in providing education to patients with diabetes in the Chaleur region and the Acadian Peninsula," said Alice H�bert, director of nursing for the ABHA.
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About Diabetes in Canada
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, more than two million Canadians have diabetes. By the end of the decade, this number is expected to rise to three million. Approximately 10 percent have type 1 diabetes.
However, the number of Canadians with type 2 diabetes is increasing dramatically due to a number of factors: The population is aging, obesity rates are rising and Canadians' lifestyles are increasingly sedentary.
Aboriginal people are three to five times more likely than the general population to develop type 2 diabetes. Seventy-seven percent of new Canadians come from populations that are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes.
This includes people of Hispanic, Asian, South Asian or African descent. And there is a growing incidence of type 2 diabetes in children from high-risk populations. Diabetes is a contributing factor in the deaths of approximately 41,500 Canadians each year.
Source: Joslin Diabetes Center
