Service

Ostrobothnia Diabetes Unit

The Ostrobothnia Diabetes Unit is responsible for the treatment of diabetics in the Wellbeing Services County of Ostrobothnia’s whole Joint Municipal Authority. Every social and health center employs a diabetes nurse who is responsible for basic follow-up and directs the patient to a doctor for annual health inspections and, if necessary, treatment-intensive visits. A more thorough check-up with laboratory tests should be carried out once a year, and the diabetic’s need for support and guidance should be assessed.

Important Links

The treatment of type 1 and challenging type 2 diabetics is centralized to the Diabetes Unit’s Vaasa and Jakobstad offices or to Vaasa Central Hospital’s Endocrinology Outpatient Clinic.

Follow-up visits are arranged individually with regard to e.g. the duration of diabetes, type of treatment, age of the diabetic, and his or her other illnesses.

Depending on individual needs, the diabetic receives a blood glucose meter and test strips, a ketone meter and test strips, lancets, glucose sensors, and insulin pump materials in accordance with his or her individual assessment.

Diabetes refers to a group of metabolic energy disorders associated with a high blood sugar level. The cause of the increase in blood sugar is either a disturbance of insulin secretion, a decrease in the effect of insulin (insulin resistance) or both.

Diabetes is detected using a fasting glucose test, glucose tolerance test or an HbA1c test.

Before the fasting glucose test, you must fast (not eat) for 12 hours. In the glucose tolerance test, a blood sample is first taken, the so-called fasting blood sugar level, after which a liquid containing glucose is drunk, and after 2 hours the blood sugar level is measured again. HbA1c (so-called long-term blood sugar level) does not require fasting.

n Finland, about 500,000 people suffer from diabetes, of which 400,000 have type 2 diabetes and about 53,000 have type 1 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is diagnosed in one in five mothers.

There are about 10,000 people with diabetes in the municipalities belonging to the Wellbeing Services County of Ostrobothnia.

The WHO classification for different types of diabetes:

type-1 diabetes: due to insulin-producing β-cell destruction in the pancreas as a result of an autoimmune inflammation, leading to a total insulin deficiency.
type-2 diabetes: a number of diseases in which either insulin function is impaired (insulin resistance) or insulin secretion is disturbed, or both.
gestational diabetes: due to an increased need for insulin, due to hormonal changes, which the body cannot respond to with sufficient insulin production.
secondary diabetes: e.g. pancreatitis, post-pancreatic surgery, hemochromatosis (iron overload disorder)

In addition, several other forms of diabetes are known to exist:

LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults): a condition that begins in adulthood, much slower than type 1 diabetes, which usually leads to insulin deficiency.
MODY (Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young): a so-called monogenic form of diabetes with a genetic defect in one of the individual MODY genes. These genetic defects often cause diabetes already at an early age.

According to Current Care Guidelines, the main goals for diabetes treatment and self-care guidance are:

to support the patient’s physical, mental and social wellbeing and readiness to influence their own wellbeing without unnecessary restrictions
to prevent acute complications (including severe hypoglycaemia and ketoacidosis) and deaths caused by them
to prevent symptoms due to hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia
to prevent long-term micro- (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy) and macrovascular complications with good treatment of the components found in blood sugar and metabolic syndrome.

Tammikaivontie 4, Building 2, 65100 Vaasa

Open: Monday–Thursday 8.00–16.00, Friday 8.00–12.00

Secretary 040 480 9366

diabetesvaasa@ovph.fi (for general matters, not classified information)

Diabetes Nurse

Reception: Monday–Friday

Phone hours: Monday–Friday 10.00–11.00

040 573 8679, 040 646 2135

Tammikaivo Health Station

Tammikaivontie 4, 65100 Vaasa

Reception: Monday–Tuesday and Thursday–Friday

Phone hours: Monday–Tuesday and Thursday 13.00–14.00

040 624 1426

Gerby Health Station and Ristinummi Health Station

Tammikaivontie 4, Building 2, 2nd Floor, 65100 Vaasa

Reception: Monday–Friday

Phone hours: Monday–Thursday 13.00–14.00

040 182 4957

Kirkkopuistikko Health Station

Tammikaivontie 4, Building 2, 2nd Floor, 65100 Vaasa

Reception: Monday–Friday

Phone hours: Monday–Thursday 13.00–14.00

040 773 1189

Vähäkyrö Health Station

Vähänkyröntie 18, 66500 Vähäkyrö

Phone hours: Monday–Friday 10.30- 11.30

06 325 8500

Diabetes Clinic Kållbyvägen 7 P.O. Box 111, 68601 Jakobstad Entrance D

Open: Monday–Thursday 8.00–16.00, Friday 8.00–14.00

Diabetes Clinic Office Department Secretary Phone hours: Monday–Friday 9.30–11.00
06 786 1550

Reception: Monday–Friday
Malmska Health Center

Phone hours:
Monday: 8-9 am and 12-13 pm
Tuesday: 12-14 pm
Wednesday: 8-9 am and 12-13 pm
Thursday: 8-9 am and 12 -13 pm
Friday: 8-9 am

06 786 1550

Phone hours: Monday–Friday 8.00–9.00 and 12.00–13.00, Friday 8.00–9.00

06 786 1550

Esse Welfare Station Bärklarsvägen 3, 68810 Ytteresse

Reception: Monday–Tuesday

Phone hours: Monday–Tuesday 8.00–9.00 050 323 8067

Oravais Health Center
Öurvägen 25, 66800 Oravais
Reception: Monday–Tuesday and Friday
Phone hours: Monday-Thursday 12.00–12.30 050 056 4020

Vörå Health Station
Läkarvägen 3, 66600 Vörå
Reception: Wednesday–Thursday
Phone hours: Monday-Thursday 12.00–12.30 050 056 4020

Korsholm Health Center Gamla Karperövägen 17 B, 65610 Korsholm
Reception: Monday–Friday
Phone hours: Monday–Friday 8.00–12.30
06 218 4267
Call-back: 12.00–13.00