American Diabetes Association Lauds Chicago Mayor Daley for Recognizing UN Resolution on Diabetes, World Diabetes Day
ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The American Diabetes Association (ADA) today expressed its appreciation to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley for becoming the first U.S. mayor to formally recognize the UN Resolution on Diabetes, which designates the annual observation of World Diabetes Day on November 14 and encourages Member States to support diabetes prevention, treatment, and care efforts. Mayor Daley issued a Mayoral Proclamation in conjunction with ADA’s 67th Scientific Sessions — the largest diabetes meeting in the world — being held in Chicago this week. Daley encouraged “all Americans to help fight this disease and its life-threatening complications by increasing awareness of risk factors for diabetes, making healthy lifestyle choices, and by providing care and treatment to those suffering from diabetes.”
The United Nations passed its Resolution on Diabetes in December 2006 in an effort to raise awareness of the growing diabetes epidemic and to confront the urgent need to ensure that all individuals with diabetes have access to health care that is affordable and enables them to manage the disease. Prior to the official designation by the UN, the International Diabetes Federation – - of which ADA is a member — had been observing World Diabetes Day at a global level since 1991, with cosponsorship of the World Health Organization.
“We thank Mayor Daley for his leadership on this issue and for helping to raise awareness of diabetes prevention and the importance of treatment and care,” said Larry Deeb, MD, President, Medicine & Science, American Diabetes Association. “We are facing a growing diabetes epidemic in this country and we can no longer afford inaction on this issue. I strongly urge other public officials to observe World Diabetes Day and to recognize the need to do more to fight diabetes in their communities.”
Currently, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that 230 million people worldwide have diabetes. In the United States, 20.8 million Americans have diabetes and 54 million have pre-diabetes. If current trends continue, one in three Americans — and one in two minorities — born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
However, in both developed and developing countries — including the United States — many individuals with diabetes don’t have access to the medications, supplies and training necessary to managing diabetes and preventing its serious and fatal complications. The Resolution calls for Member States to support policies that improve diabetes health coverage to ensure that every person with diabetes — or at risk of diabetes — has the best quality of education and care possible.
ADA was an active and strong advocate for adoption of the UN Resolution for Diabetes. Since then, ADA has been working to ensure that leaders at all levels of government in the U.S. take actions to support the resolution and its goals. This includes recognizing the national and global threat of diabetes, recognizing World Diabetes Day on November 14, and recognizing the role they can play — at the local and federal levels — in the prevention, treatment and care of diabetes. During the Scientific Sessions, the ADA Board of Directors issued its own proclamation, calling on our partners, worldwide, to join us in this effort.
Mayor Daley’s Proclamation is posted on ADA’s website. ADA encourages other cities to consider issuing a similar proclamation. To review the Chicago proclamation and the ADA Board of Directors proclamation, please visit http://www.diabetes.org/.
The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. The Association’s advocacy efforts include helping to combat discrimination against people with diabetes; advocating for the increase of federal diabetes research and programs; and improved access to, and quality of, healthcare for people with diabetes. The Association’s mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Founded in 1940, the Association provides service to hundreds of communities across the country. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit http://www.diabetes.org/. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.
American Diabetes Association
CONTACT: Diane Tuncer, +1-703-299-5510, Elizabeth Magsig,+1-703-549-1500 ext. 2146, NEWS ROOM June 22-26, 2007; Room E270, McCormickPlace Convention Center; +1-312-949-3210; Fax +1-312-949-3218, all of theAmerican Diabetes Association
Web site: http://www.diabetes.org/