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Aguirre Earns Diabetes Award

Posted on: Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 09:00 CDT

By Tammy Krikorian, The Sun, Yuma, Ariz.

Jun. 21--Rep. Amanda Aguirre has been promoting diabetes education and prevention for nearly 20 years and her efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Aguirre, D-Yuma, was presented with the 2006 American Diabetes Association Advocacy Award Tuesday night for her commitment toward preventing the disease.

According to a press release from the Arizona House of Representatives, Aguirre was instrumental in convincing state lawmakers to appropriate $1 million to the Arizona Department of Health Services for diabetes prevention and education.

Aguirre, CEO and president of the Regional Center for Border Health, is a member of the Arizona Diabetes Caucus and has been a registered dietician with the American Dietetic Association since 1987 and a member of the association since 1989.

"Diabetes is a very serious disease but one that can be prevented through diet, exercise and education," Aguirre said in the release. "I have seen the devastations that diabetes causes in people."

Aguirre told The Sun she is very honored to have been selected for the award.

"This is one of the battles we've been fighting for a long time, working in public health areas and (working with) families throughout District 24," she said.

Aguirre said diabetes sufferers who don't have the means to take care of themselves die a slow death with many complications, like loss of sight, along the way.

She hopes the $1 million appropriated will help prevent diabetes through education.

Aguirre is no stranger to diabetes patients. She began with work at the Yuma County Health Department in 1987, when she started a diabetes program targeting individuals without medical insurance or access to care.

"At the Regional Center for Border Health, I continue with that commitment," she said.

Aguirre said a healthy diet and proper exercise are key components in preventing diabetes, and she's started walking clubs throughout Yuma County. They've also established clinics that provide free diabetes screenings to promote early detection, and established a nutrition and wellness institute to provide information to families.

"The quality management care is the key issue," Aguirre said. "We want to make sure families that suffer with diabetes know that diabetes is controllable and (they) can avoid complications later on."

Aguirre said diabetes is becoming a nationwide epidemic because of childhood obesity.

"We're seeing more diabetes in early childhood ... because of obesity and overweight problems," she said.

Aguirre said until more families adopt a healthier lifestyle and encourage exercise, the number of diabetes cases will continue to rise.

"We are very honored to present Rep. Amanda Aguirre the 2006 Advocacy Award for her efforts to change public policy as it relates to diabetes," Phil Higdon, chair of the American Diabetes Association's Valley of the Sun Leadership Council, said in the news release.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sun, Yuma, Ariz.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Sun (Yuma, Ariz.)

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