California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 172

Introduced by Assembly Member Beth Gaines

August 7, 2014

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 172—Relative to Diabetes Awareness Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 172, as introduced, Beth Gaines. Diabetes Awareness Month.

This measure would declare November 2014 as Diabetes Awareness Month.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, With more than 25 million Americans living with
a diabetes diagnosis, and many more going undiagnosed, diabetes
affects people across our country and remains a pressing national
health concern; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 3 million Californians have diabetes,
meaning that more than 1 out of 10 adult Californians has diabetes;
and

WHEREAS, From 1998 to 2007, the prevalence of diagnosed
diabetes rose from 5.5 percent to 7.6 percent, representing a
38-percent increase in one decade; and

WHEREAS, California has the greatest number of people in the
United States who are newly diagnosed with diabetes; and

WHEREAS, In 2007, about 7.9 million or 29 percent of adults
in California, or nearly one in three, had prediabetes, a condition
that often precedes type II diabetes; and

WHEREAS, Prevalence of gestational diabetes, diabetes that
occurs in the context of pregnancy, has increased 60 percent in
California in just seven years, from 3.3 percent of hospital
deliveries in 1998, to 5.3 percent in 2005; and

WHEREAS, Small studies suggest a consistent increase in
diabetes among children and youth; and

WHEREAS, California’s ethnically diverse population has a
higher risk and prevalence of type II diabetes; and

WHEREAS, Individuals with type II diabetes often do not
exhibit symptoms; and

WHEREAS, Diabetes is a chronic disease for which there is no
known cure, and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United
States; and

WHEREAS, The serious long-term complications of high blood
sugar levels may include blindness, lower-extremity amputation,
heart disease, kidney failure, and premature death; and

WHEREAS, The keys to reducing the incidence of, and
complications associated with, diabetes are education, early
detection, control, and proper treatment; and

WHEREAS, The earlier a person is diagnosed with diabetes
and receives treatment, the better the person’s chances are for
avoiding diabetes complications; and

WHEREAS, The first line of treatment recommended by all
treatment standards is diet and exercise, because a healthy diet and
the loss of excess weight can have a positive impact on the body’s
ability to fight off disease; and

WHEREAS, It has been shown that modest weight loss may
help to lower blood sugar, blood pressure, and improve the level
of fats in the bloodstream, and may be beneficial to the treatment
of diabetes and other metabolic diseases; and

WHEREAS, Traditionally, those at highest risk for diabetes
included older, overweight citizens who had a history of diabetes
in their families. However, in recent years there has been an
alarming increase in the growing number of younger individuals
who are being diagnosed with diabetes, which is attributed to
lifestyle and excessive body mass; and

WHEREAS, Total health care and related costs for the treatment
of diabetes in California alone is about $24.5 billion each year;
and

WHEREAS, Diabetes in California represents a significant and
growing economic drain for families, employers, and communities,
especially during these difficult economic times; and

WHEREAS, President Barack Obama has proclaimed November
2013 as National Diabetes Month; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares November 2014
as Diabetes Awareness Month; and be it further

Resolved, That individuals are encouraged to seek early
screening and early treatment to reduce the rate of diabetes and its
complications among high-risk populations; and be it further

Resolved, That health care workers are encouraged to improve
care for the control of diabetes and the treatment of major
complications; and be it further

Resolved, That health care providers are encouraged, as they
detect and treat the emerging diabetes epidemic, to engage in an
aggressive program with their patients that includes a treatment
regimen that meets and exceeds minimum treatment guidelines,
as well as measurements of body weight and other associated risk
factors; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the California Medical Association, the State
Department of Health Care Services, and to the author for
distribution.