HR 9103

1	House Resolution
2	A resolution supporting education, screening, and
3	aggressive medical treatment to help prevent diabetes.
4
5	WHEREAS, diabetes is a chronic and serious disease for
6	which there is currently no cure, and
7	WHEREAS, individuals who have type 1 diabetes are most
8	often children or young adults who are unable to produce or
9	properly use insulin, and
10	WHEREAS, individuals having type 2 diabetes, or adult-onset
11	diabetes, cannot produce enough insulin or properly use insulin
12	and often do not exhibit symptoms in the early stages of the
13	disease, and
14	WHEREAS, patients suffering from diabetes have long-term
15	complications, including high blood sugar levels, blindness,
16	lower extremity amputation, heart disease, kidney failure, and
17	premature death, and
18	WHEREAS, in recent years, the number of individuals
19	diagnosed with diabetes has increased dramatically, and
20	WHEREAS, 9 out of 10 individuals who are newly diagnosed
21	with adult-onset diabetes also suffer from obesity, and
22	WHEREAS, America faces a diabetic epidemic wherein an
23	estimated 20.8 million Americans nationwide live with diabetes,
24	and
25	WHEREAS, diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in
26	Florida, with the highest concentration of deaths located in the
27	panhandle of Florida and central Florida, and
28	WHEREAS, research has shown that some ethnic groups are
29	disproportionately affected by diabetes compared to the general
30	population, which is of great concern in Florida because more
31	than one-third of the state's population is African-American,
32	Hispanic, or Native American, and
33	WHEREAS, the earlier that a person is diagnosed with
34	diabetes and receives treatment, the better the person's chances
35	are for avoiding the complications of the disease, and
36	WHEREAS, the first line of treatment recommended by health
37	care standards is diet and exercise, and a healthful diet and
38	loss of excess weight can have a positive effect on the human
39	body's ability to fight the disease, and
40	WHEREAS, traditionally those persons who are at the highest
41	risk include older individuals, those who have a family history
42	of the disease, and those who are overweight, and
43	WHEREAS, in recent years there has been an alarming
44	increase in the growing number of younger people who are being
45	diagnosed with diabetes, which is attributed to lifestyle and
46	excessive body mass, NOW, THEREFORE,
47
48	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
49	Florida:
50
51	That health care providers in this state are encouraged to
52	adopt generally recognized clinical practice guidelines to help
53	manage diabetes.
54	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that health care providers are
55	strongly encouraged to inform patients that proper nutrition and
56	exercise may reduce their chances of contracting diabetes.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.