A $500,000 expansion of the Youville Centre will step up the province’s fight against diabetes in Manitoba, Healthy Living Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross said at the official opening of the expanded diabetes centre.
“Diabetes shortens life expectancy while considerably increasing the risk of developing other health conditions,” said Irvin-Ross. “The Youville Centre has long been recognized as a Manitoba centre of excellence in diabetes education and services, and this expansion will mean even better care for Manitobans affected by this disease.”
The Youville Diabetes Centre is a self-management education centre in Winnipeg that provides both day and evening one-to-one and group education sessions for clients living with or at risk for diabetes and its complications.
The expansion of the facility will improve accessibility for clients and includes additional space to provide enhanced prevention services. These include foot care, complementary and alternative medicine, stress management and wellness programming, weight management and exercise as well as other self-management supports for clients.
“Youville Centre is sustained by successful partnerships,” said Sylvia Oosterveen, executive director of the centre. “We are appreciative of our ongoing relationships and the support of community-based activities which provide access to resources and support for healthy living.”
The province committed $130,000 toward the expansion. The minister noted today’s announcements build on a series of investments in healthy living and chronic disease prevention including:
• more than $2.8 million in new funding to create teams that address cancer and chronic disease prevention and promote healthy-living services across the province;
• $300,000 over two years to the Wellness Institute at Seven Oaks General Hospital to co-ordinate and support the delivery of the Get Better Together! Manitoba program across the province;
• implementation of Manitoba in motion, a province-wide movement aimed at increasing physical activity for health benefits;
• a chronic disease prevention initiative which supports community-led, evidence-based projects that promote more than $20 million in funding to expand renal health services including dialysis and prevention education in Winnipeg, rural and northern Manitoba;
• $2 million for the Manitoba Retinal Screening Vision Program to help people in northern Manitoba connect with retinal screening services; and
• a partnership with the federal government to provide $6 million over five years to implement diabetes healthy eating, physical activity and smoking reduction programs.
