Tribe, Community Health Officials Celebrate Diabetes Center for Excellence Opening

After years of work and a thorough grassroots fundraising campaign, Akwesasne now is home to the Diabetes Center for Excellence, a treatment center many say is unparalleled in this portion of the United States.

The center offers a combination of treatment, prevention and education rarely found under a single roof, granting it the official designation of Center for Excellence.

"It's the only building of its stature of the eastern seaboard," former Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Health Services Director Debra Martin told an audience of about 100 at the center's grand opening on Wednesday, Feb. 12.

Diabetes has devastating effects on the community. Nationally, 8 percent of the population is diabetic, but in Akwesasne, 16.3 percent of the people are afflicted, according to Chief Ron LaFrance.

"Diabetes has taken Indian Country by storm," he said. "We have the highest rate of diabetes overall in New York State ... it's totally unacceptable."

LaFrance said he himself suffers from the disease and the center's educational component is critical to shielding current and future generations.

"I am one of those documented cases and I will not be a statistic," LaFrance said. "We owe it to ourselves, more importantly we owe it to our elders and our children."

Diabetes Center for Excellence Director Heather Garrow said the center has been open and serving Akwesasne since last year, when they treated 253 patients in about 735 visits. They have 450 documented cases. She thinks they can affect positive change on the community.

"We hope [instances of diabetes in Akwesasne] will at least level out ...We hope it can prevent diabetes in youth also," she said.

Many of the cases are type II diabetes, which is acquired and can be cured. Type I diabetes is inherited through genes and although treatable, is incurable.

"More people are getting it because of growing rates of obesity...in Native Americans," Garrow said.

The center takes a multi-pronged approach to combating diabetes. One facet is a program called Let's Get Healthy. According to a handout from the tribe, it "strives to reach lifestyle goals for all Akwesasne community members by targeting healthy weight, regular physical activity, nutrition, blood sugar control, lipid (cholesterol control) and stress management."

For physical activity, the 15,000 square-foot facility boasts a 2,500 square-foot fitness center with treadmills and exercise bikes. There will be an outdoor walking track made available once the snow melts. Alternative physical activity is offered at a 20x25-foot pool with a hydraulic lift to assist people with getting in and out. There is also a relaxation room with dim lighting, candles, comfortable chairs and mellow music.

Garrow and Martin both stressed the importance of learning a healthy lifestyle and the center offers cooking and gardening classes for individuals and families.

"We encourage families to add those [healthy] lifestyles in the home life," Garrow said. "Families come in together – there's a cooking demonstration and they learn where what they're eating comes in for nutritional value."

She added that in the warmer months, there will be a garden project where youth work with elders to learn how to grow their own fruits and vegetables.

Martin credited a strong grassroots effort with raising $216,500 for the center's construction. They included golf tournaments, the Black Tie Committee, the Akwesasne Garden Club, the 7 Miles for 7 Generations walk and the St. Regis Mohawk School. The event featured seven speakers, and many gave credit to Retha Herne and Janine Rourke. Garrow, speaking through tears, acknowledged the efforts of Rosemary Bennett, who had passed away and Margaret Terrance.

Rourke said the quest to bring the center to Akwesasne has been "a journey of over 20 years."

Martin said she could recall her days as a young nurse when "I could count the number of diabetes cases on this hand," holding up her right appendage.

"The drive is the community – there's definitely more cases and more families afflicted and younger and younger ages," Rourke said.

In addition to the local drive, federal and tribal governments chipped in. The Akwesasne Housing Authority procured $1 million. The federal Housing and Urban Development Indian Community Development Block and Action grants garnered $1.4 million. The USDA Community Facilities Program covered $515,880 and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort gave $143,000.