DIABETES CARE FOR ALL CANADIAN CHILDREN
YOUR NOTE OF SUPPORT FOR MAUREEN AND HER FAMILY, IS NEEDED, TODAY!
Hi folks.
I live in the province of Ontario, in this beautiful country that we call Canada. In Ontario, our children have access to excellent endo/nutritionist/nurse educator teams for type 1 diabetes care through specialized departments at some of Canada's best pedriatic hospitals, albeit a day and a half drive or more, for some of us. In Ontario, juvenile diabetes centers also provide access to the very best of T1 therapy including government financed insulin pumps and annual grants of $2,400 toward insulin pump supplies. Throughout Canada the standard of medical care varies widely and throughout our school boards the standard of care differs even more, not just province to province, but from community to community.
Right now, one of the tudiabetes members, Maureen Israel, with a 7 year old T1 child in Inuvik - THE ONLY T1 child in Inuvik - needs your help. Maureen has had to fight with the Inuvik health care system over travel costs, for each and every appointment that her son has been scheduled to attend with his endo team in Edmonton, the nearest hospital with a department specializing in type 1 diabetes. The issue here is that Inuvik health care while routinely covering travel costs for costs for families, for children requiring medical care that Inuvik cannot provide are refusing to cover the cost for two parents, plus child to attend scheduled appointments. Maureen needs your messages! She needs your input on the importance of the involvement of BOTH parents in every young child's diabetes care. She needs your messages to attach to the many letters, emails and so on that she must put forth to the Inuvik health department to get approval on travel costs to allow both Mom, Dad and even sibling Jesse to attend scheduled endo team visits in Edmonton that her young son Jacob needs to attend.
Please reply to this discussion with your messages. We need to get the message out to our governments that "Blue Lights on Buildings" during this month of diabetes awareness while beautiful isn't enough. Accesible healthcare FOR all T1 children needs to be a priority. Please add your replies to this message for Maureen and others to draw on in their many writings for support to government.
Thanks,
Cheryl - fellow Mom of a child living with T1.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by maureen on -
Thank you Cheryl for posting this. I have written letters to the Premier of the NWT, the Minister of Health & Social Services, Government of NWT, Deputy Minister, Health and Social Services. I just keep getting that the policy states only one escort is approved for medical travel. They wanted us to see a locum pediatrician in Inuvik, we saw him last week and he agreed that Jacob's care should be taken care of through the Pediatric Diabetes Education Centre in Edmonton as Inuvik and the NWT does not have pediatric endocrinologists. We do not have a pediatrician in Inuvik, one comes up a few times a year. I have a letter written by Jacob's doctor at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton stating that both parents are required for Jacob's appointments as we share in his care equally. The doctor here in Inuvik who diagnosed Jacob agrees that both parents are required to attend his appointments.
I feel like they are minimizing the seriousness of the disease, it does not stand out like Cancer! Jacob's next follow-up is 2 days before Christmas and to date we have no approval for anyone's travel. His travel in July did not get approved because we were out of the territories on holidays so they deemed it was an appointment that did not originate in the NWT...He hasn't seen the team since March 2010. He was diagnosed on November 26, 2009.
I wrote a follow-up email last night to the Deputy Minister of Health again stating my case. I will let you know what becomes of it.
Again, a big thank you to Cheryl and anyone else who chooses to voice their support.
Maureen in Inuvik -
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Permalink Reply by Terrie on -
Hi Maureen: :)
I'm sorry that you and your Family are going through this. It brings back stories that my Mom and Dad told us in later years, since my Brothers were dxd. in the '50's and me in 1961 before Universal Healthcare was in our Province. We were born in a wee town with 1 Family Doctor who wasn't that experienced in Diabetes. Our Family knew of no other Diabetics living in our area....certainly not Persons with Juvenile Diabetes. None in our Families either.
There was Very little help back then obviously but it should be much Better for Diabetics everywhere nowadays.
I'd be Happy to help you, if I can. Do you have a sample letter that I could send out and to whom? Thanks! -
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Permalink Reply by maureen on
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Hi Terrie, No I don't have a sample letter, what Cheryl is trying to do is garner support for my family to travel for Jacob's pediatric endocrinologist appointments from Inuvik NWT to Edmonton AB...which is where we were sent when Jacob was diagnosed. I will be printing all of these comments to add to a letter which I am writing to the CDA in hopes that they can write a letter to the policy makers of the government's extended health care plan regarding medical travel for Type 1 diabetics. Thanks Terrie.
Maureen -
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Permalink Reply by nel on
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Dear Sir/Madam ,
Health Department,
Inuvik, Government of the NWT.
I have been living with type 1 diabetes since Jan, 1983 . I know from living with this chronic disease , that support in my case from my Husband , is utmost important . Diabetes is a family disease and the better it is treated upfront , by involving both parents in the maintenance of Jacob Israel living in Inuvik , the less financial strain and stress will be put on the family and ultimately on all people of the NWT and Canada in years to come .I am certain the plan is to have Jacob eventually become a productive member of our Canadian society!
I am one of the fortunate ones here in Canada : we have a good Extended Health program through our past employers , which is paying off . I live without complications from diabetes. I also wear an insulin pump since 2001 , which is covered by our Extended Health program . This tool has made it possible for me to feel better as a productive 70 year old woman, than when I was using some different types of insulins at age 50 .
It is already been said today , that 25 percent of the people living with diabetes suffer from depression ( statistic supplied by the Canadian Diabetes Association ) .
I would ask you to re -consider the request of the Israel family to have both parents join their son Jacob to visit with the Endo Team in Edmonton on a regular basis . Insulin pumpers have on-line information available, which can be e-mailed to one's Health Team and changes to the pump settings can be monitored without a needed personal visit .
Maybe visiting the link will give some more insight .
http://novomedlink.pro/diabetes-care/diabetes-themes/Challenges-of-...
Regards,
Nel
Would this be helpful ?? Would you think I need to change, modify, consider it a DRAFT letter OR ?????
Cheryl ...I do not want to add my phone number ,address , last name here...but I can provide in a pm both to you and Maureen -
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Permalink Reply by Cheryl on -
Thank you Nel,
This is perfect. I have written separtely to Maureen on my thoughts too. I just wanted other tu members where possible to add input like you just added above that Maureen can draw on as a source to bring to the attention of Inuvik Healthcare.
Cheryl -
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Permalink Reply by maureen on
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Hi Cheryl, I have your emailed letter to add to my letter as well as Nel's . Thanks so much.
Maureen -
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Permalink Reply by maureen on
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Thank you Nel, this is great, I will be sure to add both yours and Cheryl's letters to my letter. Thanks again, have a great weekend.
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FYI Cheryl , I have connected regarding this discussion via e-mail and face book with those , who plan to visit Ottawa, Diabetes Day on the Hill /Canadian Diabetes Association Advocacy ,early December 2010 . I have sent the discussion link to non- Tu members .
I pray the polititians will get the letters , discussed in your discussion . -
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