On 4 September 2018, the Board of Directors of the Novo Nordisk Foundation approved a grant of DKK 835.4 million (€112 million) to Region Zealand to strengthen its initiatives for preventing and treating diabetes. The initiatives include establishing Steno Diabetes Center Zealand in the region’s four hospital units and in the mental health services.
The Foundation’s grant is based on a detailed project plan for establishing and operating the centre. On 20 August 2018, a broad political majority in the Zealand Regional Council approved the project plan, which was prepared with the involvement of health professionals, hospitals, patients and other sectors in the region.
The aim of Steno Diabetes Center Zealand is that every person with diabetes in the region can live longer with a higher quality of life. In addition, the centre will especially focus on minimizing the risk of socially disadvantaged people developing diabetes.
Based on Region Zealand’s decentralized hospital structure, the centre will be established in new and existing buildings at the region’s four hospital units and in its mental health services. The centre will improve the quality of initiatives for preventing and treating diabetes in collaboration with general practitioners and the municipalities.
Heino Knudsen, Chair of the Zealand Regional Council, says: “Steno Diabetes Center Zealand will be an important boost for people with diabetes in the region. We are bringing specialized treatment closer to residents – regardless of where they live and who they are. We will therefore treat adults and children as locally as possible – and set up special services for people with mental health problems who have diabetes. We will also participate actively in providing better prevention and more research across all of Denmark.”
Lars Rebien Sørensen, Chairman of the Board, Novo Nordisk Foundation, says: “The Novo Nordisk Foundation wants to contribute to Denmark being able to offer world-class research-based prevention and treatment of diabetes. The goals are that people with diabetes can live longer and improve their quality of life and that fewer Danes develop diabetes. One focus of Steno Diabetes Center Zealand involves a special initiative targeting vulnerable and disadvantaged families and individuals with the aim of ensuring that everyone in the region receives the best possible diabetes treatment.”
About 10,000 people are expected to receive treatment at Steno Diabetes Center Zealand each year, but the ambition is that all of the approximately 45,000 people with diabetes in the region will notice an improvement in the quality of diabetes treatment.
The centre will focus especially on inequality in health in relation to diabetes, chronic complications and comorbidity. The centre will include initiatives targeting specific groups such as vulnerable families with children or adolescents who have diabetes; children and adolescents with a high risk of developing diabetes; obese adults; socially disadvantaged adults; ethnic minorities; and people with diabetes and multiple chronic diseases.
The grant to Region Zealand started on 1 January 2019 and runs until the end of 2028, with a possible extension thereafter.
Read about Steno Diabetes Center Zealand here.
Further information
Christian Mostrup, Senior Press Lead, Novo Nordisk Foundation, +45 3067 4805, cims@novo.dk