THE
CHARLES H. BEST
DIABETES CENTRE
WHAT IS TYPE 1?
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an auto-immune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Our bodies need insulin to convert food into energy. T1D strikes without warning. A person living with T1D must rely on insulin injections in order to stay alive.
As of 2014, roughly 3 million Canadians were diagnosed with diabetes; that's 1 in 300 children and youth (1–19 yrs). Type 1 diabetes (as opposed to Type 2) is estimated to contribute 10% of the total diabetes population, which equates to 270,000 people, including approximately 33,000 school age children.
You cannot develop type 1 diabetes from eating too much sugar.
STRATEGIC PLAN
VISION
As an esteemed leader in type 1 diabetes expertise, we will provide exceptional community based services driven by our patients and their need for lifelong care, education and support.
MISSION
To keep our children, youth and adults living with type 1 diabetes healthy until a cure is found.
GOALS
Deliver excellent care
Be person-centred
Value our people
Sustain and
accommodate growth
WHAT WE DO
The Best Centre is focused on keeping patients healthy through education and support for everyone involved in their care. We have an all-encompassing and lifelong approach driven by our vision and values. The staff and volunteers are here to make living with type 1 diabetes easier by providing both clinical and mental health support. You will find our educators to be highly skilled experts in everything related to type 1 diabetes, and most importantly, caring!
As Canada’s only stand-alone centre and charitable organization specializing in type 1 diabetes, the staff strives to provide timely and responsive care. The interdisciplinary clinical team includes registered nurses, dietitians and social workers who provide frontline healthcare and education throughout our patients’ lifetime.
Please visit BUILDING ON THE BEST for more information
While there are organizations focused on finding a cure, The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre is dedicated to keeping patients healthy through education and support for everyone involved in their care; a family support model. We have an all-encompassing and lifelong approach driven by our vision; as an esteemed leader in type 1 diabetes expertise, we will provide exceptional community-based services driven by our patients and their need for lifelong care, education and support.
Our interdisciplinary team of physicians and registered educators which include nurses, dietitians and social workers, all work together to make a difference in the lives of these children, adults and their families.
The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre is a registered charity and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors consisting of patient representatives, medical advisors, community and corporate representatives. Recognizing the burden that The Best Centre lifts off of local hospitals, the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care provides approximately 75% of our operating revenues. While this funding is extremely helpful, it does not cover the costs necessary to run The Best Centre and it does not account for any planned patient growth or site expansion. Therefore we must raise money with fundraising activities such as bingo, galas, golf tournaments, foundation grants, corporate and individual donations.
CONTACT US
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The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre is proud to acknowledge the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, which is covered under the Williams Treaties. We are thankful for the opportunity to teach, learn and to support the type 1 diabetes community on the ancestral territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, which includes Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi.