JACKSON, MS – Volunteers, advocates and stakeholders in the diabetes community will gather at the state capitol in Jackson to present information about diabetes, provide health screenings and meet with their members of the Mississippi state legislature. Advocates will educate state legislators on the growing incidence of diabetes in Mississippi and the need for continued access to affordable and adequate health care for people with diabetes. Diabetes Awareness Day will be held on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Volunteers and advocates represent several organizations throughout the statewide whose missions and services are focused on people with diabetes. Represented organizations include, Abundant Living Community Organization (ALCO), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Mississippi Kidney Foundation, American Heart and Stroke Association, Everlast Health & Wellness, Congregational Health Nurses of Central Mississippi, and Local Ministers and Business Leaders.
Today, 236,509 Mississippians have been diagnosed with diabetes and 74,687 people remain undiagnosed. Diabetes can lead to serious complications such as: heart disease, renal failure, blindness, nerve damage and disability. Diabetes is the sixth-deadliest disease in the United States. Since 1987, the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45 percent, while the death rates due to heart disease, stroke, and cancer have declined. If current trends continue, one in three Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. And according to a study commissioned by the ADA, annually, the cost of diabetes has reached $174 billion nationwide. In Mississippi, the financial burden of diabetes exceeds 1.7 billion dollars a year.
The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information, and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association has offices in every region of the country, providing services to hundreds of communities. To obtain a copy of the diabetes risk test or for more information about diabetes (in English or Spanish), please visit www.diabetes.org or call 800-DIABETES (800-342-2383).
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