Florida Senate - 2017 (NP) SR 1832
By Senator Stargel
22-02321-17 20171832__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing November 2017 as “Diabetes
3 and Heart Disease Awareness Month” in Florida.
4
5 WHEREAS, diabetes affects more than 29 million Americans,
6 including more than 2.4 million Floridians, and is a chronic
7 condition that occurs when the body does not properly produce or
8 use the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar, and
9 WHEREAS, type 2 diabetes is the most common type of
10 diabetes, representing an estimated 90 to 95 percent of all
11 diagnosed adult diabetes cases in the United States, and
12 WHEREAS, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death
13 nationally, and
14 WHEREAS, of the more than 29 million people who have
15 diabetes nationally, more than 8 million are undiagnosed and
16 unaware they have the disease, and
17 WHEREAS, the number of adults with type 2 diabetes in the
18 Florida Medicaid program increased from more than 93,900 in the
19 2009-2010 state fiscal year to more than 120,900 in the 2014
20 2015 state fiscal year, and the total cost of diabetes in the
21 Florida Medicaid program in the 2014-2015 state fiscal year was
22 $142 million, and
23 WHEREAS, the estimated total cost of diabetes in Florida in
24 2012 was $24.3 billion, including $19.3 billion in direct
25 medical costs, and
26 WHEREAS, cardiovascular disease, a class of diseases
27 involving the heart or blood vessels, is the leading cause of
28 death associated with diabetes due to complications associated
29 with the disease, such as high blood sugar, high blood pressure,
30 and obesity, which can result in heart attacks, heart failure,
31 and stroke, and
32 WHEREAS, people with type 2 diabetes are two to four times
33 more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, and
34 WHEREAS, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes increases with
35 age and affects more than one in four seniors over the age of 65
36 in the United States, and Florida has the largest percentage of
37 population in this demographic in the nation, and
38 WHEREAS, one in ten Medicare enrollees in Florida has
39 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and
40 WHEREAS, a recent study shows that 52 percent of adults
41 living with type 2 diabetes are unaware that they are at
42 increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and
43 WHEREAS, two out of three deaths in Americans with type 2
44 diabetes are attributed to cardiovascular disease, and
45 WHEREAS, diabetes costs America $245 billion annually, with
46 direct medical costs accounting for $176 billion of the total
47 costs in 2012, and
48 WHEREAS, appropriate awareness and education about the
49 cardiovascular risks associated with diabetes can effectively
50 improve the overall outcome and reduce the financial burden of
51 the illness, and
52 WHEREAS, the Florida Department of Health and other
53 partners are seeking to promote awareness, education, and action
54 related to diabetes and the link to cardiovascular disease, and
55 WHEREAS, it is essential that state agencies, public health
56 authorities, health care providers, insurers, and other health
57 care stakeholders promote education and awareness of the
58 connection between diabetes and cardiovascular disease, risk
59 factors, and opportunities to promote better health for the
60 individuals and populations at risk, NOW, THEREFORE,
61
62 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
63
64 That November 2017 is recognized as “Diabetes and Heart
65 Disease Awareness Month” in Florida.
66 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Florida Senate recognizes
67 the policy recommendations of the Florida Diabetes Advisory
68 Council contained in its 2017 Florida Diabetes Report and
69 encourages the organization’s efforts to raise awareness of and
70 address the connection between diabetes and cardiovascular
71 disease.