Dr. Thompson-Badamosi specializes in the care of Diabetes Mellitus, including initiation and management of insulin pumps, Thyroid and Parathyroid disorders, Pituitary disorders, and other disorders of the Endocrine system.
Bahamians took advantage of an opportunity to learn more about diabetes on Saturday, with over 600 people attending the ACE Diabetes Expo on November 14 at the New Providence Community Center. In addition, 58 healthcare professionals benefitted immensely from the ACE Diabetes healthcare professionals diabetes seminar, which occurred on November 13.
“Both were well-attended, we had a wide cross-section of the general public as well as healthcare professionals at the events,” said Dr. Graham Cates, who established ACE Diabetes in 2012 with his wife, Nurse Anita Cates, to address the overwhelming need in The Bahamas for diabetes awareness and the challenge of managing diabetes on a daily basis.
“The expo was extremely well-attended, we had a mixture of children and adults, it was fantastic to see all of the families that came out, the healthcare professionals that were there providing free health screenings, education and health promotion activities, they all gave us rave reviews about how excited they were to be a part of the event and how much traction they felt they got. They felt that the general public was ready to engage and talk to them.” Cates added.
“The two presenters at the seminar, Dr. Charles Diggiss and Dr. Janine Sanchez, did an excellent job. The information was extremely well-received by the healthcare professionals, they felt it was a great opportunity to learn more about children with diabetes, the management of those children, and also the unique role of bariatric surgery in the management of patients who are obese and have diabetes.”
Dr. Charles Diggiss, chief medical officer at Doctors Hospital and president/CEO of the MedNet Group of Companies, and Dr. Janine Sanchez, associate professor and director of pediatric diabetes at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, spoke at the seminar.
Diggiss spoke on the topic “Bariatric surgery and diabetes”. He focused on the question, “Why should I have a gastric restrictive procedure to control my diabetes and reverse my obesity?”
Sanchez, who has been involved in diabetes research, including immune studies, prevention studies, insulin trials and psychological treatment studies, addressed the topic of diabetes and teens.
The theme for the seminar was “Mission possible: Diabetes down”.
“Every year both events are growing, last year as a matter of comparison we had 400 at the expo we had 40 healthcare professionals at the seminar, so every year it is growing and we expect that to continue as people become more aware of what the event is about, Cates pointed out.
“It offers such informative sessions and great opportunities for interaction with others dealing with diabetes, as well as the wide spectrum of healthcare professionals that attend this event. If we go back to the foundation principle of why we founded ACE Diabetes, the need to reduce the burden of diabetes in The Bahamas, we recognized that there are three ways we could do this, awareness, compassion and education. The expo is really an awareness event for the general public, it looks at what is diabetes, how it is affecting people, and how we can take the necessary steps to prevent it and how to reduce the risks associated with the disease.
“The healthcare seminar speaks to the educational component. The feedback we received, from people who were there, people who have emailed us and commented on Facebook, it has been extremely positive,” noted Cates.
The Nassau Guardian
Health & Wellness section
Published November 17, 2015
Following the success of the ‘Get On Track’ Expos in the last couple of years, ACE Diabetes is set to launch ‘Mission Possible: Diabetes Down’ with a focus on prevention and management through healthy lifestyle choices.
This free event will be held on Saturday, November 14th from 10:00am to 2:00pm (World Diabetes Day) at the New Providence Community Center on Blake Road.
Online registration for the Expo is encouraged, with a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime phone provided by BTC – the drawing is only open to online registrants and early bird attendees. To pre-register visit www.acediabetes.org.
The event brings together a variety of experts and organizations within the community to present information on healthy living and wellness as wells as diabetes-related products and services.
There will be many fun games, plus free health screenings, including mini medical eye exams for glaucoma, cataracts, and other elements of diabetic eye disease. Also dental checks, and loads of prizes and giveaways throughout the expo.
At the end of the expo a grand raffle will be held and one lucky winner will receive an all-inclusive 3-day, 2-night stay at ANY Sandals resort.
“It isn’t just about diabetes,” said Anita Cates, a registered nurse, co-founder of ACE Diabetes and organizer of the Mission Possible Health Expo.
“The aim of this expo is to increase awareness about chronic illness and to help the community make better, healthier lifestyle choices. We want people to have fun as they talk with the experts and explore the wealth of resources and demonstrations.”
This year’s Expo highlights include the popular cooking demonstration by Chef Jacques Carlino of Blue Sail who will be preparing healthy and delicious Mediterranean cuisine. Club One will get the crowd moving with an energetic fitness and dance routine. In the greenhouse, Field to Fork Community Farm will take attendees back to their healthier cultural roots with a workshop on ‘Backyard Farming’. Field To Fork will also be presenting their craft-brewed/fermented beverages (ginger beer, turmeric tonic and kombuchas).
Attendees are invited to bring all their questions about diabetes, wellness and healthy living to the “Ask The Experts” session featuring Dr. Charles Diggiss, Chief Medical Officer of Doctors Hospital, and Dr. Janine Sanchez, Director of Pediatric Diabetes at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Sanchez will be addressing questions on diabetes in children and teenagers. Parents and young people are encouraged to attend and discuss with her their concerns about early warning signs, treatment and lifestyle.
ACE Diabetes was established in 2012 to address the overwhelming need for diabetes awareness, prevention and management in The Bahamas. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, stroke and heart disease, as well as severe forms of nerve diseases, dental problems, increased risk of infection, and complications in pregnancy.
Health care experts and staticians have estimated that approximately 50 percent of Bahamians live with Diabetes or some other chronic illness.
“The good news is that there are now more options then ever for management, prevention and healthy living,” said Dr. Graham Cates, president of ACE Diabetes. “We look forward to showing you how a healthier life is MISSION POSSIBLE!”
This event is made possible with the help of all the generous sponsors and contributors, with special thanks to major sponsors: Diabetes Education Network; Family Medicine Center; The Lyford Cay Club; BTC; Albany Resort; BAF Financial & Insurance (Bahamas) Ltd.; Accu-Chek; and Atlantic Medical.
The ‘Mission Possible: Diabetes Down’ expo is free and open to the public. It will be held on Saturday November 14th from 10:00am to 2:00pm at The New Providence Community Centre on Blake Road.
For more information visit http://www.acediabetes.org or call 702-9310.
