Cllr. P.J. Hourican, deputising for the Lord Mayor, officially opened Diabetes Ireland’s dedicated care centre for people with Diabetes in Munster on April 26th. The centre is located at 36 Mary Street in Cork city.
A great number of past and present volunteers turned up on the night to celebrate the opening. People were interested in hearing about the services that the centre now offers and were delighted to meet the health professionals. Diabetes Ireland expect to see 7,000 patients with diabetes per year in the centre.
Lord Mayor, Cllr. Des Cahill visited the centre at the beginning of his term and was so impressed with the facility that he made it a beneficiary of his fundraising efforts for the year.
Diabetes Ireland Podiatrists Alexandra Ryan and Mary Adams
This not-for-profit service was set up to provide rapid and easy access to much needed care services in Cork. Diabetes is a 24/7 condition and if it is ignored, it can have a detrimental effect on a person’s quality of life. Uncontrolled or poorly managed diabetes is the primary cause of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and limb amputation/s.
Marian Sheehan, Charlotte Pearson and Pauline Lynch of Diabetes Ireland
The Centre acts as a local resource centre for people seeking support and information on the many facets of diabetes, especially for the newly diagnosed who may be waiting on their first hospital appointment and for those living with the condition for years who may need some additional support to manage their condition more effectively.
The centre offers an array of services and health checks for people with diabetes and these currently include;
- Retinopathy Screening (2 Screening Rooms)
- Podiatry (2 Examination Rooms)
- Counselling sessions
- Dietetic service
- Hearing tests
- Structured education courses for people with prediabetes & type 2 diabetes
- Support group meeting facility for adults with type 2 diabetes
- Support group meeting facility for teens with diabetes
- Family support for families with a child with diabetes
