The Health Services Authority is getting out into the districts to promote diabetes education. The free wellness initiative, led by Winsome Jefferson and Amanda Daley, both certified diabetes educators and pharmacists, aims to promote lifestyle changes through education on medication adherence, nutrition, physical activity and blood glucose monitoring.
Every fourth week of the month, the Health Services Authority will now host group sessions, travelling from district to district, from 10am to 12pm.
Mondays will be at West Bay Health Centre, followed by Wednesdays at Bodden Town Health Centre, Thursdays at East End Health Centre and Fridays at North Side Health Centre.
While the Health Services Authority already offers one-on-one sessions at Smith Road Medical Centre, the district sessions are designed to serve larger groups, including diabetic and pre-diabetic people. The Smith Road sessions, each lasting half an hour, are available Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2pm to 6pm.
The idea behind these educational efforts is to prevent diabetes-related complications.
“Expanding these services to our district clinics is part of our strategy to empower the community to make informed choices that enhance their well-being,” explained Nurse Joanna Rose-Wright, a senior nursing officer for Public Health and Primary Health Care Services, in an Health Services Authority press release.
“We’ve seen firsthand how knowledge improves outcomes, and we want every person at risk for diabetes or living with it to benefit.”
One person who has benefited from these outreach efforts is Caymanian musician James Geary, who first received his pre-diabetes diagnosis in 2018. Geary didn’t take his diagnosis seriously until 2024, when he collapsed from a severe hyperglycemic episode.
Since then, he’s received support and one-on-one sessions at the HSA Diabetes Education Clinic. He credits these sessions with changing his life.
“Literally having a blood glucose monitor has changed my life and my perspective on health and self-care,” Geary said the press release. “I was 428 pounds and now I’m 360 and still going.”
Jefferson, one of the diabetes educators, explained that Geary’s experience of initially underestimating his diagnosis is not rare.
“It never ceases to amaze me how little many patients understand about their condition. Some are completely reliant on medication without changing their lifestyle, and others stop taking their insulin altogether,” she said.
“We want people to understand that diabetes isn’t just ‘a touch of sugar.’ It can lead to blindness, kidney failure, and amputations. But with education, monitoring, and support, it can be managed, and these complications can be avoided.”
For people who would like to learn more about diabetes, appointments at the Smith Road Medical Centre can be booked by calling 244-7520 or 244-7683. The district sessions are open to the public.
More information can also be found online through the HSA Diabetes Education Clinic.
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