Barbados Diabetes Association announces Global Village

Press Release/ PRMR Inc. /June, 18, 2008

Chairman of The Barbados Diabetes Foundation, Dr. Oscar Jordan recently announced that the Foundation will be hosting the Exhibition “Global Village” again this year in collaboration with the Diabetes Association of Barbados and The Lion’s Club of Bridgetown.  It is scheduled for the Sherbourne Conference Centre on Thursday, November 13 and Friday, 14.

Jordan said that his five year old organization launched the inaugural Global Village last year as it saw the need to add its voice in a more public way to the needs of the diabetic and to the attention given to the disease.  “Diabetes affects nearly every household in Barbados, and attracts a large expenditure to the over all health bill with our increasing amputee rate and long stay at Queen Elizabeth hospital” .  In most cases these are older persons so their plight is overlooked and this also increases the mortality rate for diabetes as persons loose their will to live without having all their limbs.

Diabetes however is no longer an old person’s disease.  The well publicised pregnancy of media
personality, Suzanne Prescod demonstrates that diabetes can potentially affect us as early as
in our mother’s womb.  Diabetes in children is becoming so common place that the International Diabetes Federation has extended last year’s focus on children to this year.  The Diabetes Foundation will thus be again having children at the heart of this year’s Global Village theme.”

Podiatrist, Simone Lorde McConnie and diabetes specialist Dr. Carlisle Goddard is leading the team organising the event.  The Foundation has again contracted the PR consultants PRMR Inc. to do the promotion and management of the event.  The event is expected to be even bigger this year and will be packed with a number of interesting features and activities, not only for the diabetic but for the entire family.

The milestone electronic billboard placed in Heroes Square last year with short messages on diabetes will again be installed.   Companies, organizations and individuals therefore have a number of opportunities to show their support for diabetes either through sponsoring, exhibiting, advertising on the billboard or visiting the exhibition.