Posted on Nov 26, 2025
Across Canada, about 30,000 school-age children live with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), including 2,200 in British Columbia. Rates are rising fastest among youth aged 10–14, with the highest burden in Northern and Interior communities.
For families navigating a new Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, day-to-day management can feel overwhelming. Children need constant monitoring, and parents often face moments of uncertainty between in-person clinic appointments.
A texting tool is helping to change that.
In Vernon, a pediatric care team introduced a secure texting program to give families and age-appropriate patients direct access to nurses, dietitians, and physicians whenever questions or worries arise. Instead of waiting weeks for an appointment—or heading to the emergency room in moments of panic—parents can now reach their child’s care team within minutes.
It began in 2019 as a project funded by the Specialist Services Committee through its Physician Quality Improvement initiative—aimed initially at understanding what information patients and their families wanted and needed. Funding supported data analytics and project participants, including patient partners. Through a process mapping exercise—done with clinicians, allied health professionals, administrators, and patient partners—a clear gap was highlighted: families needed timely, reliable, practical guidance, but traditional appointments and phone calls weren’t enough.
That’s where the texting tool WelTel—a BC social enterprise that provides evidence-based digital health services— came in. Through the texting platform, families can send updates, ask questions, and receive quick reassurance. The care team also shares reminders, educational tips, and even weekly jokes to keep kids engaged in managing their care.
“Secure messaging helps us provide timely, individualized care that prevents crises and builds confidence in day-to-day diabetes management,” says Dr Eiko Waida, the Vernon pediatrician leading the project.
The results have been remarkable.
Now expanded into the IMPACT (Include Messaging for Patients & Care Teams) program, the program has over 125 patients enrolled, and once a patient begins texting, they are up to 50% less likely to access the ER. With more than 260 families on the platform, the weekly patient-care team interactions (back and forth texts) have increased by over 2,300 percent from previous combined interactions (telephone, email, and in-person).
Families say that texting helps them manage diabetes more effectively—and every one of them wants the service to continue.
Debbie Sparling, whose son was diagnosed with T1D at age four, says the program has eased a huge emotional burden. “When you’re stressed and worried about your child, getting a quick response is a huge relief. It feels like someone else is helping carry the load. This program has saved us so much time and stress.”
"Texting removes barriers. My son Easton even reached out to the nurses on his own, which showed us how empowering this tool is for kids,” says another parent, Melissa Chanasyk. “When children learn early that they can ask questions and get support, it builds the confidence they carry into adulthood to manage their diabetes.”
The model has now expanded to Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton, Trail, and Nelson.
As diabetes rates continue to rise across Canada, this made-in-BC model of care shows how simple digital tools—grounded in strong physician leadership and patient partnership—can improve outcomes and access to care, strengthen relationships, and ease pressure on the health system, one text at a time.
To learn more about the IMPACT program or to participate, please contact Dr Eiko Waida at Eiko.Waida@interiorhealth.ca.
About the initiative:
The IMPACT program was funded by the Specialist Services Committee (SSC), initiated through the Physician Quality Improvement Initiative and subsequently supported through the Facility Engagement Initiative and Health System Redesign Initiative. SSC is one of four Joint Collaborative Committees that are a unique partnership between Doctors of BC and the BC Ministry of Health.
Additional funding partners include: Kelowna General Hospital Foundation, Royal Inland Hospital Foundation, Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen, Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation, Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital Health Foundation, and Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation.
