Press Release

Diabaetes Wellness Clinic is buzzing with activity

“Who would have imagined four years ago how successful the Diabetes Wellness Program would be in the Marshall Islands?  When I first explained our goal of reversing the epidemic of diabetes in the Marshall Islands, skeptics wished us “good luck,” said President and Founder Jamie Spence.  They knew that every child in the Marshall islands has a 50 / 50 chance of contracting diabetes.

Today, activity at the Diabetes Wellness Center attests to the positive changes that the Marshall Island people have made in their lives.  The dining room at the Diabetes Wellness Clinic is filled with people including distinguished members of the Nitijela and the President’s cabinet.  They are enjoying nutritious 100% plant based breakfasts and lunches, with high fiber and minimally refined carbohydrates.  Fruit, muffins, hot cereal, legumes and salad are replacing ramen, Kool Aid, and donuts.  Approximately 80-100 people come to eat at the clinic every day.

The center provides cooking classes for the public and the local restaurants are sending their cooks to learn how to provide nutritious meals. 

Aerobics exercise and weight lifting classes are being taught at the center.  The Majuro community is enthusiastically embracing the concept of practicing a healthy lifestyle. 

What’s on the horizon for the clinic?  “Programs have been limited by the size of the clinic,” said Denis Yates, Clinic Administrator.  So, Yates recruited Joseph Shewchuk, from Walla Walla, WA, to volunteer for 2 months at the center and renovate and expand the facilities.  New kitchen equipment was installed which allows the staff to serve more people.  The dining and lecture rooms have been expanded to accommodate 50 participants.  Exercise and weight rooms have also been enlarged.

Tables and chairs are needed for the dining room area.  Equipment for cooking work stations, such as two-burner hot plates, utensils, plates, and dishes need to be purchased.  A new air conditioner needs to be installed in the fitness rooms.   Additional weight and fitness equipment is needed. 

President Litokwa Tomeing’s recent remarks at a February, 2009 Chamber of Commerce meeting reflect the can-do attitude of the Marshallese people, “Consider the excellent treatment program for diabetes that is being run by the Wellness Center. Do they only hand out pills or insulin shots? No. They take a holistic approach to the ravages of diabetes. They actually teach people how to change their lifestyle to stop the progression of this serious illness.”  Teaching lifestyle change is only part of the solution to reversing the epidemic.  The other part of the equation is the whole-hearted determination of this population to show that it can be done.
 

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