BILL NUMBER: SCR 134	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Pan

                        APRIL 25, 2016

   Relative to diabetes prevention.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 134, as introduced, Pan. Diabetes: the "Screen at 23"
campaign.
   This measure would urge the State Department of Public Health to
endorse the "Screen at 23" campaign to screen all adult Asian
Americans with a body mass index of 23 or higher for type II
diabetes.
   Fiscal committee: yes.



   WHEREAS, Approximately 2.5 million Californians, or 9 percent of
the population, are diagnosed with diabetes, 46 percent of
Californians are estimated to have prediabetes, and residents of
Asian American heritage comprise 14 percent of the population of the
State of California; and
   WHEREAS, Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death among Asian
Americans; and
   WHEREAS, Asian Americans are 30 percent more likely to have
diabetes than White Americans and are also at greater risk of
developing prediabetes, diabetes, and associated risks at a lower
body mass index (BMI) than White, Hispanic, Black, or Native
Americans; and
   WHEREAS, Asian Americans face a health care disparity in type II
diabetes detection and diagnosis, as the current guidelines for
screening Asian Americans at a body mass index of 25kg/m2 not only
miss 36 percent of diabetes diagnoses, or approximately 116,000
individuals, in California but also underestimate the prevalence of
prediabetes among Asian Americans; and
   WHEREAS, Two out of three persons with type II diabetes die from
heart attack or stroke, and adults with diabetes are at risk for
developing end-stage renal disease and kidney failure, blindness, and
lower limb loss; and
   WHEREAS, The per capita health care cost of diabetes in California
is $14,800 per year and the annual cost for diabetes in California
is $37.1 billion, including $27.6 billion in medical costs and $9.5
billion in indirect costs and productivity loss; and
   WHEREAS, Thirty-eight percent of all hospitalized Asian Americans
in California have diabetes, which leads to more expensive hospital
care regardless of the reason for hospitalization; and
   WHEREAS, Early detection and treatment can mitigate
diabetes-related complications, risks and costs; and
   WHEREAS, Interventions focusing on nutrition, physical activity,
and healthy weight loss have been shown to reverse prediabetes,
improve glucose function in diabetics, and reduce the need for
multiple medications; and
   WHEREAS, Screening Asian American patients at a BMI of 23 instead
of 25 would unmask over 67,000 diabetes cases, and many thousands
more prediabetes cases in California, thereby initiating treatment or
early interventions to reduce negative co-morbidities like heart
diseases, kidney diseases, and limb amputation; and
   WHEREAS, The National Institutes of Health recently found that
more than half of Asian Americans with diabetes are undiagnosed and
community-based participatory research and studies on Asian American
subpopulations have shown that Asian Americans develop diabetes at a
lower body mass index; and
   WHEREAS, The World Health Organization recommends screening Asian
patients at a lower body mass index than non-Hispanic Whites, and the
2015 official guidelines of the American Diabetes Association
recommend that Asian Americans should be tested for type II diabetes
at a body mass index of 23; and
   WHEREAS, The Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific
Islanders Diabetes Coalition has coordinated the "Asian BMI" efforts
of over 15 national and regional organizations, culminating in the
launch of the "Screen at 23" campaign; and
   WHEREAS, California has the opportunity to become one of the first
states to formally recognize and recommend screening adult Asian
Americans for type II diabetes at a body mass index of 23, enabling
thousands of individuals to get the early care and treatment needed
to live healthier and happier lives; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature endorses and supports the
"Screen at 23" campaign; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Legislature urges the State Department of
Public Health to endorse and support the "Screen at 23" campaign's
efforts to increase awareness of diabetes among Asian American
communities, including the use of appropriate screening measures for
Asian American patients and to eliminate disparities; and be it
further
   Resolved, That the Legislature urges the State Department of
Public Health to encourage all public and private health providers
and facilities to also participate in these efforts; and be it
further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author, the Governor, and the Director of the
State Department of Public Health for appropriate distribution.