COLE BAY, Sint Maartern – On Monday March 9, 2020 the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset welcomed the Diabetes Foundation of St. Maarten to give a presentation on diabetes prevention and awareness. The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset joined several Rotary clubs within District 7020 in promoting the prevention of diabetes through the district’s prevention and awareness program entitled, “My Health, My Life, Stop Diabetes Now”!
During the meeting, President Jaida Nisbett presented a monetary donation to the President of the Diabetes Foundation of St. Maarten (DFS), Mrs. Lotty Peterson, to purchase glucose testing supplies to continue serving our community with free glucose and cholesterol testing. DFS is an unsubsidized organization and the most costly of the tests provided by DFS is undoubtedly checking the total cholesterol, which amounts to US$ 3.00 per test (covering the use of gloves,alcohol wipes, lancets and test strip) and on average they use some 200 strips per month (twice at public locations and twice at the Philipsburg Pharmacy) and even more with special events.
DFS representatives present at the meeting were Lotty Peterson, Amanda Wever and Angela Gordon. Ms. Peterson gave a brief presentation on the health risks associated with the consumption of various foods and ways to prevent high sugar levels. Members of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset were also given the opportunity to have their blood pressure an glucose tested at the meeting. DFS also made use of a BMI machine, which was also donated by Rotary Sunset, to calculate members’ body mass index.
“Millions of people die every year from a disease that can be easily prevented with proper diet and exercise. Diabetes is a now leading cause of death in our region and we need to ensure thawe are creating awareness about the importance of a healthy diet and exercise. In keeping with our district’s diabetes campaign, it was fitting to start with our members, some of which were considered high risk and were advised to change their eating habits immediately”, president Jaida stated.
Ms. Peterson expressed her gratitude to the club for their continued support in expanding the organization’s reach in combating the diabetes epidemic on the island. The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset would like to express its gratitude to the representatives of the Diabetes Foundation of St. Maarten for their insightful presentation and for the continued efforts in shaping our community.
The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset meets every second and fourth Monday of the month at Carl N Sons Unique Inn and Conference Facilities in Colebay at 7:30pm. The club can be contacted via email at rotarysxmsunset@gmail.com or via the official Facebook page at facebook.com/rotarysxmsunset.
