Overview
Who:
The project was initiated and developed by the Manitoba Association of
Community Health (MACH), a non-profit organization that focuses on supporting
initiatives that involve community heath and development, and primary
health care. The project has developed with the generous support of Health
Canada’s Métis, Off-Reserve Aboriginal and Urban Inuit Prevention
and Promotion (MOAUIPP) program, and key program partners.
Why:
Rates of diabetes among Aboriginal people in Canada are three to five
times higher than those of the general Canadian population. Aboriginal
children are also now being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a condition
that in the past occurred mainly in older persons. (Health Canada)
MACH recognized the need for an educational tool to address the alarming
increase of type 2 diabetes among Aboriginal youth and initiated the Diabetes
Medicine Bag program.