For Immediate Release: Contact: Niketa Calame
California Diabetes Advocate Visits Washington, DC to Urge Greater
Federal Funding in the Effort to Stop Diabetes®
Los Angeles, California March 11th 2011 – In an effort to Stop Diabetes and the devastating effects of this disease in our community, Niketa Calame, a diabetes advocacy leader in Carson, California, joined more than 200 diabetes advocates from across the country in Washington, DC for the American Diabetes Association’s Call to Congress. Call to Congress, the Association’s premier national advocacy effort, was held March 9 – March 11, 2011.
Attendees included children and adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, family members of individuals with diabetes, researchers and other health care professionals. All are committed to advocacy efforts at the local, state and national levels. Calame is a Type One Diabetic
On March 10th, Calame and the other advocates met with Members of Congress and their staff, including Laura Richardson, Karen Bass, Maxine Waters, Diane Feinstein, and urged them to support federal funding levels in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 for diabetes research and prevention programs at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The Response we received from the senate and congress level was very positive. Many of the Reps were already in support of the fight to stop diabetes. A few sit on the diabetes caucus (which is the largest caucus in congress) and a few said that they would consider looking into to joining. Many of our friends and family called in and when we were on the hill the reps told us that their phones were flooded with calls from diabetes advocates. The fight doesnt stop on the hill looking forward to taking the work back home with me to LA."
Of the nearly 26 million Americans living with diabetes, more than 2 million of them are residents of California. Advocates also urged their Members of Congress to join the Congressional Diabetes Caucuses, which act to educate Members about diabetes and to support legislation that improves diabetes, research, education and treatment. While in Washington, DC, Calame collaborated with other Call to Congress participants to plan diabetes advocacy efforts back home in their communities.
“Call to Congress brings diabetes advocates from across the country together in the movement to Stop Diabetes and provides them with the opportunity to tell our federal government how important it is to fight this deadly epidemic,” said John Griffin, Jr., the Chair of the Board of the American Diabetes Association. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that one in three children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime unless our country changes its course . Congress must provide the funding and leadership necessary to invest in research and ultimately save lives.”
Diabetes is a growing epidemic and is taking a devastating physical, emotional and financial toll on our country. The national price tag for diabetes is at an astounding $174 billion per year and that cost is estimated to almost triple in the next 25 years. Factoring in the additional costs of undiagnosed diabetes, prediabetes and gestational diabetes brings the total diabetes-related cost to $218 billion.
For more information about Call to Congress, please visit www.diabetes.org/CallToCongress.
About The American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to Stop Diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.
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| Outside of Congress Sanchez Office |
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