Diabetes Alert Day

WHEREAS, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death and one of the most costly health problems in the United States; and

WHEREAS, health care and other costs related to diabetes treatment, as well as the costs of lost productivity, are an estimated $98,000,000,000 a year; and

WHEREAS, diabetes is a serious disease that can be lived with if managed properly and is particularly common among Asian Americans, native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders; and

WHEREAS, approximately 78,000 Hawaii residents have diabetes and more than half do not know it; and

WHEREAS, early diagnosis and management of diabetes can improve health outcomes and in the long term, reduce costs from diabetes-related complications; and

WHEREAS, educating patients to self-manage their condition on a daily basis through a proper diet, exercise, medication, and monitoring, can positively affect diabetes outcomes; and

WHEREAS, each year, the American Diabetes Association designates one day as a national call to action for people to find out if they are at risk for diabetes; and

WHEREAS, the campaign's centerpiece is the diabetes risk test, a simple questionnaire that helps people to find out if they are at risk, and those with high scores are encouraged to visit their doctor; and

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii, the "Health State," joins the Hawaii Medical Service Association and the American Diabetes Association in their concerted effort to raise awareness of diabetes in Hawaii and encourage the people of Hawaii to participate in the diabetes risk test; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, that the Legislature hereby supports the Hawaii Medical Service Association and the American Diabetes Association in recognizing March 27, 2001, as Diabetes Alert Day; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature recognizes and commends the Hawaii Medical Service Association and the American Diabetes Association on their commitment to: educate the community about ways to prevent and manage diabetes; raise awareness of diabetes and its risk factors; and work together on several educational endeavors in an effort to highlight the importance of prevention and early diagnosis; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Hawaii Medical Service Association and the American Diabetes Association.