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Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
For Immediate Release: October 27, 2011
Sen. Constance N. Johnson
Community Leaders to Host 3rd Annual State Capitol Dome
Blue World Diabetes Day Program
Sen. Constance
N. Johnson and Rep. Randy McDaniel along with other advocates
will present the 3rd Annual State Capitol Dome Blue World Diabetes
Day Program on Monday, November 14 to help raise awareness about
diabetes, a growing health epidemic which kills more Americans each
year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
The event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in the 2nd floor
Rotunda of the State Capitol. Open to the public, the program is
part of an effort in which 1,100 monuments worldwide will be lit
blue in observance of World Diabetes Day.
“Every 17 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes; and
every day, 200 people lose their battle with the disease, which
is tragic because it’s a preventable and manageable disease
with proper care and nutrition,” said Johnson, D-Oklahoma
County. “That’s why we have events like the one next
month at the State Capitol. The key to prevention is education,
and given that we have the fourth highest death rate from diabetes
in the nation, it’s imperative that we do all we can to educate
citizens about this horrible disease.”
Diabetes is the leading cause of heart attacks, strokes, amputations,
blindness, kidney failure, and fetal mortality.
“One in six Oklahomans suffers from diabetes, which is the
sixth leading cause of death in our state,” said Rep. McDaniel,
R-Edmond. “These are staggering statistics, and yet the American
Diabetes Association has estimated that one in three Americans will
be diabetic by 2050 if current trends are not reversed. We hope
that Oklahomans will take full advantage of all the information
and tools that will be available at this special free event.”
This year’s theme, “A Healthy Mind Keeps the Blues Away”
will focus on the relationship between diabetes and mental health
issues such as depression and anxiety, alcoholism and substance
abuse, stress and trauma, as well as methods for screening.
According to Director of Consumer Involvement and Education with
the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Association of Mental Illness,
Dr. Wayne McGuire, there is a correlation between diabetes and mental
illness.
“Diabetes is not uncommon among people with mental illness
due to some medications, poor eating habits and lack of exercise,”
said McGuire. “Consequently, individuals with diabetes should
also be evaluated by a psychiatrist, and those with mental illness
should be monitored for diabetes.”
More than 20 local and national organizations will be on hand to
offer free information and education about diabetes prevention,
management, and advocacy. Sessions will be presented on eating,
foot care, and vision care as well as topics related to diabetes
education and prevention. Certified Diabetes Educators will be available
during the event to answer questions from attendees. A variety of
screenings will also be provided including one for obstructive sleep
apnea (OSA), a condition that affects many with diabetes. A collaborative
effort will also focus on increasing youth awareness about diabetes
prevention and management and policy initiatives that impact them.
The event will be sponsored by numerous agencies and community partners
including the African American Community Diabetes Prevention Partners,
the Oklahoma City/County Health Department, the State Department
of Health, the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, the Indian Health Clinic,
the American Diabetes Association, and many others - all of whom
focus on diabetes prevention and management in Oklahoma.
For more information about the event or how to become a vendor,
please contact Tiffany Afflalo-Williams at tmawilliams@gmail.com,
or 405-312-5839; or Senator Johnson at holland@oksenate.gov; fax
# 405-521-5580.
For more information, contact:
Sen. Johnson: (405) 521-5531
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