WESTMORELAND, Jamaica – The Westmoreland Health Department is recognising the work of the parish’s nurses during Diabetes Awareness Month in November, under the theme ‘Diabetes: Nurses Make the Difference’.

Health Promotion and Education Officer at the Department, Marjorie Sharpe, said a slate of activities has been organised, including displays highlighting the importance of nurses in the healthcare sector, which will be erected at the parish’s 21 clinics as well as several private-sector entities.

She noted that employees from various companies are being engaged in virtual and small group discussion sessions on diabetes and the crucial role that nurses play in supporting people living with the condition, who are at-risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

“Nurses stand out because they are the first line of contact and usually the last line of contact, so while we try to promote health to individuals, we want them to remember the impact that nurses have on them,” Sharpe said.

She is urging people with diabetes to practise healthy lifestyle habits in order to ensure the best possible health outcomes, including maintaining a healthy diet, increasing physical activity and taking their medication.

Diabetes Awareness Month is observed globally in November to educate and raise awareness about the disease.

Diabetes is a chronic or lifelong disease in which the body fails to make insulin or to properly use the insulin that it makes.