News

Calling For a Lifestyle Intervention

ACE Diabetes is hosting a free seminar for medical and healthcare professionals on Friday, November 7th at the New Providence Community Centre on Blake Road. The event starts promptly at 6:30pm and includes dinner and drinks.

World-renowned diabetes expert Dr. David Marrero will be delivering the keynote address on “How To Prevent Diabetes in Your Patients” during which he will share practical pearls from the Diabetes Prevention Program.

Dr. Marrero was instrumental in the design and execution of the program which found that an intensive lifestyle intervention can reduce the development of diabetes by more than half in adults with pre-diabetes. He has worked in diabetes education and research for more than 25 years and over the past 10 years this research has been focused on the translation of clinical trials of primary prevention of type 2 diabetes in the public health. His center was responsible for translating the Diabetes Prevention Program to the YMCA and developing the curriculum and training models for the Centers for Disease Control’s National Diabetes Prevention Program. He also worked on adapting Weight Watchers, a commercial weight loss program for the delivery of diabetes primary prevention programs.

“As healthcare professionals we CAN make a difference by preventing the progression of pre-diabetes in our patients and we are pleased to have an expert of this calibre sharing his research with us,” said Dr. Graham Cates, founder of ACE Diabetes.

The free event is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, facilitated by Nassau Agencies. The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies with focus on researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing new medications, including insulin for people with diabetes.

Registration starts at 6:00pm, with the seminar officially commencing at 6:30pm, on Friday November 7th. Seating may be limited so participants are encouraged to pre-register online at www.acediabetes.org/symposium/ or by calling 242-327-2878

Dr. Marrero will also be participating in the ACE Diabetes Get On Track Expo on Saturday, November 8th – a free fun-filled event featuring prizes and giveaways plus demonstrations in cooking, fitness, farming and more. Dr. Marrero will be one of the experts, along with Dr. Graham Cates, during an “Ask The Experts” session.

About Dr. David Marrero
Dr. David Marrero is J.O. Ritchey Endowed Professor of Medicine and Director, Diabetes Translational Research Center, at Indiana University School of Medicine. He has worked in diabetes education and research for more than 25 years. He also has more than 200 publications in lay and professional journals including Diabetes Care and The Diabetes Educator. Dr. Marrero has been an American Diabetes Association volunteer since the 1980s. He is a member of the American Diabetes Association’s Board of Directors and has also served or is serving on numerous committees. In 2008, he was the recipient of the American Diabetes Association Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award and the Josiah K. Lilly Distinguished Service Award. He holds a PhD, master of arts and bachelor of arts in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine. He is a member of the American Diabetes Association’s Pinnacle Society and Summit Circle.

About ACE Diabetes
ACE Diabetes was established in 2012 to address the overwhelming need in The Bahamas for diabetes awareness and the challenge of managing diabetes on a daily basis. The ultimate goal is to reduce the burden of diabetes on individuals, families, communities and healthcare systems, and, by supporting good health, prevent or delay the onset of diabetes related long-term complications (IDF Standards 2009). Raising awareness in The Bahamas of this ever-growing disease is one of the main efforts behind the mission of ACE. ACE Diabetes informs, inspires, and shows compassion to people who are impacted by diabetes, and in the process positivity affecting lives and facilitating an improved quality of life. ACE Diabetes is all about diabetes in real life. ACE’s aim is to empower people by considering the whole person, including their physical social, emotional, spiritual, financial needs. Find out more at www.acediabetes.org.

There is a lot on the schedule for the ACE Diabetes Get On Track Expo: free health screenings – including for cataracts and eye problems, demonstrations in cooking, fitness and farming, Ask The Experts, loads of prizes and giveaways, plus a grand raffle. There will be an abundance of information, displays and samples.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8th, from 10am to 2pm at The New Providence Community Centre

Register in advance to get a free healthy breakfast between 9am and 10am before the expo starts, courtesy of Baha Mar:
www.acediabetes.org/event-registration/

The general public and CIBC FirstCaribbean staff, management, customers and corporate partners walked for the cure this past Sunday to join the fight for life at the bank’s third annual Walk for the Cure support initiative.

Walk for the Cure is a regional event with local iterations in each of CIBC FirstCaribbean’s 17 locations throughout the Caribbean. The funds raised from the New Providence walk will be presented to Sister-to-Sister Breast Cancer Support Group, The Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative Foundation, and the Cancer Societies in Abaco, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama and New Providence.

A total of 348 walkers and runners of all ages smartly turned out in bright new Walk for the Cure T-shirts. They were all in good spirits and anxious to get started as they set off for the Sandals Resort from the Goodman’s Bay Corporate Centre in West Nassau. Two avid fitness fans of note were present, Leslie Miller, member of Parliament for Tall Pines, and Miss World Bahamas Rosetta Cartwright. The walk followed the bank’s two-month pre-publicity awareness and fundraising activities that boosted the final amount raised.

Side note: Nurse Anita came to the event prepared only to help manage the medical booth. She had not planned to physically participate but ended up running and said she had an awesome run, “I killed it!” 

At Goodman’s Bay Corporate Centre, walkers were refreshed with fresh fruit and water and gathered to listen to Jason Knowles’ moving narrative of his daughter, Zion’s fight with cancer. Necole Watson of Trinity City of Praise performed while Pastor Shawn McKenzie of Sunrise Ministries gave a brief sermon.

The most moving part of the event was the release of balloons, which brought those gathered to their feet in a moment of silence and contemplation. The Walk for the Cure was open this year to the public for registration, which boosted the numbers attending and the overall funds raised.

CIBC Managing Director Marie Rodland-Allen was one of the participants and said the bank was “proud to support the initiatives” of these valiant local charities.

“For us, raising funds is not just a community initiative; it is an imperative representing a fierce commitment that spans across our entire business. This is the third year for the hosting of this event and we are pleased to have more than quadrupled our fundraising numbers in 2014 to over US$170,000 across the region,” she said.

She added: “We want to thank our staff who have collectively rallied in support of this cause and have raised US$31,454 in both funds and corporate sponsorship. To our corporate sponsors, we express sincere thanks for joining us in our efforts to build awareness of cancer which ultimately affects all of us. We are therefore humbled to have played our part in ensuring that persons battling this disease receive the necessary support to help them in their valiant fight.”

Platinum sponsor Sandals was an early responder to CIBC FirstCaribbean’s call for corporate sponsors and came out in force the day of the walk with 56 staff members and management participating. General Manager Patrick Drake said that partnering with Walk for the Cure was an easy decision and is in line with the resort’s own cancer month activities.

“Sandals, through our foundation, has always been looking to make a difference,” Drake said. “We’ve worked with the St. Jude Foundation in the past and we currently have the staff in pink every Friday to promote awareness. If each one can help one that is what it is all about.”

The sponsors for the event were: Platinum: Sandals; gold: Restaurants Bahamas Ltd. (KFC); silver: Baha Mar, Atlantis, Colina, MPLaw Chambers, John Bull Ltd., Elite Security Agency, Family Medicine Center, Valentines Residences Resort and Marina, Gippy’s Printing and TriPoint Communications.

Duquesa Dean, CIBC FirstCaribbean’s Customer Experience Manager, was one of the key organizers for the event.

“I am so proud of Team CIBC FirstCaribbean,” Dean exclaimed. “Over the past few weeks, our employees have been absolutely dedicated to raising funds for cancer research and finding a cure. Public support of our fundraising has been phenomenal. The turnout for the event was larger than ever with over 475 registrations, 250 of those came out to walk. Customers in our branches donated generously to the cause as well and we had quite a number of corporate sponsors who all helped to make this drive a success.”

Organizers are expecting much of the same support next year.