The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre for children, youth and adults was founded in 1989 as a "first of its kind" Centre in Canada. The Centre received the prestigious Fredrick G. Banting Award in 1990, through the Centre's founder, Marlene Grass RN, a Diabetes Educator. The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre serves over 350 children and 1,200+ adults in the Durham region by providing the most current and top level education, support and management available from the time of diagnosis through all of life’s challenges; from sick days to pregnancies, from school days to work days and every day in between. We provide the education and support necessary to help our patients and their families integrate the changes demanded by this disease throughout the life cycle; from paediatric to geriatric, so that they can live longer, healthier and happier lives. While there are many organizations focused on finding cures, The Centre is focused on keeping individuals healthy with programs that enable them to cope with the challenging daily demands of this disease. It is dedicated to providing young people and their families with education and support to meet their ongoing diabetes needs. The Centre provides 24/7/365 support from our clinical team by pager for crisis prevention, intervention and for specific management issues such as a rapid response program for newly diagnosed families. OUR MISSION: To promote positive integration of diabetes management into the daily life of children, youth, adults and their families. The provision of comprehensive education and life skill instruction is facilitated through individual and specialized group sessions. The Best Centre's inter-disciplinary clinical care team includes Registered Nurses, Dietitians, and Social Workers who specialize in both paediatric and adult Type 1 Diabetes management. The team works in conjunction with each patient’s diabetes specialist, consisting of paediatricians or endocrinologists.
