07 LC 37
0530
Senate
Resolution 650
By:
Senator Balfour of the 9th
ADOPTED
SENATE
A
RESOLUTION
Urging
the Department of Community Health to develop and establish educational programs
for consumers, patients, and health care providers regarding diabetes and take
other actions to reduce the rate of diabetes and its complications; and for
other purposes.
WHEREAS,
diabetes is a chronic disease for which there is currently no known cure, and it
is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States; and
WHEREAS,
individuals with Type 1 diabetes cannot produce any of their own insulin or
amylin, hormones needed to help regulate sugar and food stores in the body;
and
WHEREAS,
individuals with Type 2, or adult onset, diabetes cannot produce enough of their
own insulin or amylin and often do not exhibit symptoms in the early stages of
the disease; and
WHEREAS,
the serious, long-term complications of high blood sugar levels may include
blindness, lower-extremity amputation, heart disease, kidney failure, and
premature death; and
WHEREAS,
in recent years, the number of individuals diagnosed with diabetes has increased
by 41 percent; and
WHEREAS,
nine out of ten individuals who are newly diagnosed with adult onset diabetes
also suffer from obesity; and
WHEREAS,
America is facing a diabetes epidemic, as an estimated 20.8 million Americans
are living with the disease nation-wide; and
WHEREAS,
diabetes is a leading health problem in Georgia, with an estimated 616,000 adult
residents currently living with the disease;
and
WHEREAS, Georgia´s diabetes prevalence rate of 8.3 percent exceeds the national prevalence rate of 7 percent of the population; and
WHEREAS, Georgia´s diabetes prevalence rate of 8.3 percent exceeds the national prevalence rate of 7 percent of the population; and
WHEREAS,
the keys to reducing the incidence of, and complications associated with,
diabetes are education, early detection, control, and proper treatment;
and
WHEREAS,
the earlier a person is diagnosed with diabetes and receives treatment, the
better the person´s chances are for avoiding diabetes complications;
and
WHEREAS,
the first line of treatment recommended by all treatment standards is diet and
exercise; a healthy diet and the loss of excess weight can have a positive
impact on the body´s ability to fight off disease; and
WHEREAS,
it has been shown that modest weight loss may help to lower blood sugar, blood
pressure, and improve the level of fats in the bloodstream, which are beneficial
to the treatment of diabetes and other metabolic diseases; and
WHEREAS,
traditionally, those at highest risk include older citizens who have a family
history of the disease and who are overweight; however, in recent years, there
has been an alarming increase in the number of younger people who are being
diagnosed with diabetes, which is attributed to unhealthy lifestyles and
excessive body mass.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the Department of Community Health
is urged to develop and establish educational programs for consumers, patients,
and health care providers in order to reduce the rate of diabetes and its
complications among high-risk populations, to encourage individuals to seek
early screening and early treatment, to encourage health care providers to
improve care for the control of diabetes and the treatment of major
complications, to adopt generally recognized clinical practice guidelines such
as the American Diabetes Association goals, recommendations, and standards that
identify the reduction of body mass index (BMI), cardiovascular risk issues, and
glycemic control as key factors to managing diabetes, and to engage in an
aggressive prevention and treatment program of diabetes with Medicaid patients
and those in the State Health Insurance Program, including dietary counseling
and exercise, measurements of body weight, and other associated risk factors.