Ontario Expanding Access to Diabetes Care in Durham Region
Province building a new, more modern diabetes clinic to connect 3,800 people to high-quality care closer to home
The Ontario government is renovating and expanding The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre to connect more people in Whitby and across Durham Region, to high-quality diabetes care. Once complete, the expanded centre will nearly double its capacity from 2,000 patients annually to 3,800 patients annually. This project is part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario’s health-care system by investing nearly $60 billion in more than 50 major hospital projects across the province over the next 10 years.
“Our government is making historic investments to protect Ontario’s health-care system and build a connected, people-first health-care system,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Through this investment, Ontarians in Durham Region will benefit from increased access to diabetes education and care, resulting in fewer related health complications for patients and reduced stress on the health-care system.”
With the government’s investment, The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre will be able to serve more people and deliver enhanced care in a welcoming environment that has more clinical space, private counselling rooms and child-friendly areas.
As a next step, the Ministry of Health is working with The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre to complete planning for this project, including determining programming, operational and space requirements. Once detailed planning is complete and the project is tendered and awarded, a construction schedule will be confirmed.
Through Your Health: A Plan For Connected and Convenient Care, Ontario is expanding and modernizing health facilities and community based services across the province, making it faster and easier for people of all ages to connect to the high-quality care they need, where and when they need it.
Quick Facts
- The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre is Canada’s only stand-alone centre and charitable organization specializing in type 1 diabetes. The centre delivers a wide range of programs and services via a multidisciplinary team to children, adolescents, adults and their families, offering expert counselling.
- The centre serves approximately 2,000 patients annually from regions including Durham, Northumberland/Kawartha, Peel and York with a projection to grow to almost 3,800 patients.
- Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas does not produce any insulin. Insulin is an important hormone that helps your body to control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood.
- According to Diabetes Canada, diabetes contributes to 30 per cent of strokes, 40 per cent of heart attacks, 50 per cent of kidney failures requiring dialysis, 70 per cent of amputations annually and is the leading cause of vision loss.
- Roughly 10 per cent of people living with diabetes have type 1, insulin-dependent diabetes. Type 1 diabetes generally develops in childhood or adolescence but can also develop in adulthood. People with type 1 need to inject insulin or use an insulin pump to ensure their bodies have the right amount of insulin.
- Over the next 10 years, Ontario is investing nearly $60 billion on major health infrastructure. This is part of the government’s plan to get shovels in the ground on more than 50 major hospital projects across the province, which will deliver approximately 3,000 new hospital beds and build a connected, people-first health-care system.
- The Ontario government is investing $257 million in 2025-26 to support critical infrastructure upgrades and repairs at 126 hospitals and 66 community health-care facilities across the province, a 12.3 per cent increase from the previous year.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love