Expenses high for Alberta’s diabetics

Albertans with Type 1 Diabetes incur expenses on an ongoing basis to test their blood levels many times a day and inject insulin to manage the disease.

Without a private medical insurance plan the costs are significant on an ongoing basis. Insulin can control the disease but does not cure it.

Testing strips which are used at least four times a day cost $75 for 100, says Emily Johnson, the Alberta provincial advocacy lead for Diabetes Canada.

The organization has been advocating for these supplies to be made freely available by Alberta Health.

Most people with Type 1 Diabetes now use an insulin “pen” rather than a syringe to administer insulin but the pens require needles that are attached to the end. A box of 100 needles costs about $20.

Johnson says it is fair to say the average cost of these supplies is $130 a month.

There are a range of new medications for Type 1 Diabetes but they are not covered by the province, said Johnson.

For other local residents, a serious illness may require travelling to Calgary at their own expense to receive the appropriate treatment.

Medicine Hat will soon have a supervised consumption site, where illicit drugs will not be provided, but safe, clean needles will.

Its location has not yet been made public but the plan is for it to become a community hub to provide access to health care, housing and supervised consumption services. If someone was to overdose, medical staff would be on hand to administer Naloxone.

HIV Community Link is responsible for establishing and operating the SCS with a startup grant of $900,000 from Alberta Health.

Ongoing operating costs, an amount that has not been made public yet, will also be funded by Alberta Health.

Medicine Hat resident Rob Cowan has publicly expressed concerns about providing a building, staff and supplies where people can bring and use their illicit drugs.

He questions the appropriateness of providing a site in the downtown area, or possibly off Maple Avenue, opposite the Remand Centre and less than a block from the Medicine Hat Police Station.

The plan is for safe consumption to provide support to help a client regain control and make progress toward seeking help for the addiction, says Leslie Hill, executive director for HIV Community Link, Calgary.

When they are at the facility, clients are more receptive to hearing about the alternatives and understanding the supports that can be offered.

Some of the local concerns stem from recent media reports about supervised consumption sites in Lethbridge and Calgary and an increase in the number of used and discarded needles.

In Medicine Hat, there will be a needle cleanup every Wednesday with the help of volunteers.

The plan is to offer services at the site from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.