Lautenberg, Isakson, Degette, Castle Introduce Legislation To Help Prevent Diabetes In Minority Communities

Main Category: Diabetes
Article Date: 22 Apr 2009 - 8:00 PDT

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Today, Sens. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO-1) and Mike Castle (R-DE) introduced a bill to help prevent diabetes from affecting children and families in minority communities. Minority communities, including African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, have higher rates of diabetes and are often less able to obtain the care they need to manage their disease.

"Diabetes remains an epidemic, especially in minority communities," Sen. Lautenberg said. "Our bill would help families in New Jersey and across the nation get the education and treatment they need to prevent diabetes from dictating their lives."

"Of the nearly 24 million Americans affected by diabetes, an alarming number are minorities," Sen. Isakson said. "It is important to provide the education necessary to keep these individuals healthy through proper management of their disease."

"Today's bill is a first step in addressing the unique challenges that minority populations face in the areas of diabetes education, treatment, care, and outcomes," said DeGette, Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. "Racial and ethnic minorities have a much higher incidence of diabetes, and more and more young children are developing the disease as well. By investing in basic and translational research at the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Resources and Services Administration, we can hopefully begin to understand and combat the factors that impact the populations disproportionally affected by diabetes."

"Many do not realize the disproportionate impact diabetes has on minority communities across the nation," said Rep. Castle. "Improving prevention, access and care for minority communities impacted by diabetes will go a long way in not only eliminating disparities but improving health."

The legislation, the Eliminating Disparities in Diabetes Prevention Access and Care Act, would coordinate prevention, research, treatment and education efforts across several government agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Specifically the bill would require the:

- NIH to examine the various factors that lead to diabetes in minority populations, including behavior, environment, and genetics;

- CDC to better educate the public on the causes and effects of diabetes in minority populations and carry out culturally-specific diabetes health education; and

- Health Resources and Services Administration to increase the number of minority physicians focusing on diabetes care and treatment and educate providers on the effect of diabetes in minority populations.

The bill also would require the Indian Health Service to identify ethnically and culturally appropriate diabetes prevention and treatment services for the American Indian population.

Diabetes affects 23.6 million men, women and children in the United States. One in three children born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime, but the epidemic is growing even more rapidly in minority populations. Nearly half of all minority children born in 2000 will develop diabetes at some point in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Source
Office of Frank R. Lautenberg, United States Senator for New Jersey

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