Just as Suffolk has some of the highest rates of cancer occurrence and death, as discussed Thursday in this space, the city unfortunately also has some of the highest rates of diagnoses of diabetes, as well as diabetes complications.

As in the case of cancer, the cause of such high rates of diabetes diagnoses and complications is hard to pin down. But also as with cancer, lack of access to care is likely to be a factor.

Health care facilities are becoming a treasured asset in Suffolk, especially in the northern end. One of the newest facilities will soon be Fresenius Kidney Care, which provides dialysis treatment and also provides options for home dialysis.

Diabetes and some of its attending conditions, like high blood pressure, put people at risk for kidney disease, which leads to the need for dialysis. Kidney cancer patients also sometimes need dialysis.

The first goal for the treatment of diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and these other conditions would obviously be to manage it well enough to prevent the need for dialysis.

But that doesn’t always happen, especially in an area where people don’t always have the physical and financial access to care they need to manage their illness.

So if it does come time for dialysis, it is good to know North Suffolk patients can now get that service closer to home.