Regina Pediatric Diabetes closure ‘scary’ for Wolseley mother and child

When Brexlee arrived home after the first day of school – her blood sugar was low.

Jess McBride, Brexlee’s mother, has been monitoring her levels remotely throughout the day. “Have a snack,” he said, once his daughter was at the door.

Brexlee, 9, whose hobbies are trampoline, swimming and dancing, suffers from Type 1 Diabetes. The chronic autoimmune disease requires constant monitoring of blood sugar levels and insulin injections with every meal.

If his blood sugar drops too low, this could be catastrophic.

“From what the doctors told me, they could pass out. They could have seizures. They could go into a coma.” Jess explained.

And if blood sugar remains too high, serious complications can occur. It’s a balancing act that demands relentless vigilance.

“This is life and death for these kids.”

Although scary, it was the latest developments at the Regina Pediatric Diabetes Unit that really scared Jess McBride.

“It’s scary. I rely on the diabetes team in Regina at least once every two weeks.”

The young mother learned the unit would see a reduction in services last week after receiving a letter in the post. Written by the Saskatchewan Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Clinic, the letter reads:

“Unfortunately, the Regina Juvenile Diabetes Program is currently unable to provide pediatric diabetes care locally… As a result, children and families who previously received diabetes care in Regina will be redirected to the Saskatoon Pediatric Diabetes Clinic for their pediatric diabetes appointments and care.”

Jess McBride said the news shocked her.

“I don’t know where that support is going to come from. We’ve been with them for a year and we’ve built a relationship and learned to trust each other, and now that support is gone, gone.”

For Jess and Brexlee, this change could mean an extra hour and a half each way for each appointment. But McBride also worries about other parents.

He said the trip would be a two-day trip for many families – with additional costs like fuel, food, time off work and hotels – not to mention hours on potentially dangerous winter highways.

“For parents who can’t afford it, what do you do?”

The Saskatchewan Health Authority later responded with a statement saying the letter was inaccurate.

“The letter contains incomplete information regarding the patient’s treatment plan, and we apologize for any confusion this may cause. The SHA will continue to work with the care team, patient and family to determine the most appropriate treatment plan for each patient and will communicate directly with the patient and family regarding any changes to their care.”

-Saskatchewan Health Authority

The statement also said that only some patients will need to travel to Saskatoon.

“SHA has implemented strategies to provide ongoing coverage for current patients through pediatric specialists in Regina. During this time, some patients requiring specialized endocrinology care may need to access services in Saskatoon. We recognize that this can present challenges for patients and families and we strive to minimize disruption to care. We are also taking steps to strengthen the nursing and clinical teams that support these services to help ensure continued access to high-quality services.”
-Saskatchewan Health Authority

But they also acknowledged that they are working to restore Pediatric Diabetes Care in Regina for the people of Southern Saskatchewan – indicating that the service cuts described in the letter are not entirely wrong. It remains unclear how many patients will need to travel to Saskatoon.

At a press conference introducing the expansion of the Regina General Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill addressed the issue. “I can say that personally I’m a little disappointed with the letter that came out on Friday, just in the tone of finality to patients. If I were one of the 150 families affected, and I’ve heard from many of them over the weekend, what they read in the letter is that the service is no longer available in Regina. And that’s not going to happen. We’re going to work with our team here, work with the Saskatchewan Health Authority to make sure that we can provide that service properly here for families in South Saskatchewan.”

McBride is skeptical of temporary closures. The hospital in Wolesley, where he lives, closed in 2020 – and is expected to return to full operation soon after. However, to date, these services have not fully reopened, emergency services currently operate during normal hours during the day, but are closed during after-hours hours, on weekends and holidays. Residents complained of going to the hospital only to find a notice on the door saying the hospital was closed. So, he said, he had more questions than answers.

“What are we doing for staffing in Saskatoon? Because I can tell you that 150 people that need to be followed to some degree is huge… Who’s picking up these 150 families? Are the families in Saskatoon being sidelined now because we’re being seen so much? It seems like it’s impacting everyone.”

Cailin Hergott’s twin daughters received Type 1 Diabetes Care from the team in Saskatoon.
He said the SHA has done the best they can, and their resources are limited, but he acknowledged the potential impact could be significant.

“Adding another 150 families. I don’t know if they currently have the capacity to take all those additions or not.”

He hopes to return to full care services in Regina soon.

“I really hope that this isn’t a permanent shutdown. I’ve heard that’s not the case. But Type 1 Diabetes happens 24/7 and can’t wait until things clear up.”

The province recently provided Nurse Practitioners with a broader range of care, including treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes, which may help reduce the gap created by these closures. However, McBride said you can’t make up for the loss of a dedicated special teamer.

“They’re specialists and they’re great and wonderful. And the diabetes team in Regina…It’s a huge, huge loss…”

He pleaded with the Province and SHA to restore services.

“Hire, train, I don’t care what you have to do. These services need to be reinstated.”

And Brexlee? Yes, he has a message for anyone living with Type 1 Diabetes.

“You do good and move on. Don’t let it take over.”