Whereas:

1. Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United Stales. In Illinois alone, more than 567,756 adults (age 18 and older) have diagnosed diabetes. An estimated additional 3 million people are at increased risk for developing diabetes due to age, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle. About one in every 400 to 600 children and adolescents has type I diabetes and an undetermined number of youth may have or are at risk for type 2 diabetes; and

2. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented in those at high risk by changes in lifestyle with improved diet, increased physical activity, and/or modest weight loss; and

3. In Illinois, diabetes-both type 2 and type 1-account for nearly S7.3 billion in total direct health care and indirect costs every year, it is estimated that the direct medical care costs per person per year with diabetes is 4.3 times higher than the person without diabetes. Studies estimate that a one percent reduction in A1C values can reduce total health care costs for a patient with type 2 diabetes by up to $950 per year; and

4. Numerous studies support that people with diabetes can prevent or delay the progression of complications by practicing goal-oriented management of blood glucose, lipids and blood pressure, receiving diabetes self-management education ensuring proper food intake and physical activity to help achieve target values, maintaining a healthy body weight, and receiving recommended eye and foot examinations, and

5. Blood pressure control reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease among persons with diabetes by 33% to 50% and the risk of microvascular complications (eye, kidney, and nerve diseases) by approximately 33%, detection and treatment diabetic eye disease can reduce the development of severe vision loss by an estimated 50% to 60%, detection and treatment early diabetic kidney disease can reduce the decline in kidney function by 30% to 70%, improved control of blood lipids can reduce cardiovascular complications by 20% to 50%, and comprehensive foot care programs can reduce amputation rates by 45% to 85%:

Rod R. Blagojevich