Rep. DeGette Unveils Legislation To Tackle The Diabetes 'Epidemic'

DENVER (CBS4) - The number of Coloradans being diagnosed with diabetes has doubled in the last 20 years, and minority communities are especially at risk. Now Congress might take action.

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colorado, introduced a bill aimed at combating a disturbing trend. Nationwide and in Colorado minorities are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as the rest of the population. And nearly half of all minority children under age 15 will develop the disease.

At Denver's Indian Health Services Clinic 12 percent or nearly 400 of the Native Americans they see, like Theresa Halsey, are diabetic.

"The diabetes prevention is really needed for natives," Halsey said.

Halsey is among those supporting legislation by DeGette that -- for the first time -- will examine if there are hypersensitivities to diabetes in minority communities.

Nationwide 16 percent of American Indians, 13 percent of African Americans and 12 percent of Latinos have diabetes.

"We need to get clear what need to do, and then we need to get these messages out to the broad community," DeGette said.

DeGette's legislation would also increase the number of minority physicians treating diabetics, and set up culturally specific education campaigns.

Halsey says she's returned to many of her native foods.

"Getting to eat more of the buffalo," she said.

"Last year in June I weighed like 300 pounds," Roy Willis said. "Now I weigh 159 pounds."

Willis was prediabetic when he sought help from the Center for African American Health. He was able to prevent diabetes. DeGette says that's the ultimate goal of her legislation.

"If we don't act in a systematic, national way to deal with this epidemic, it's going to have tremendous personal costs, and it's going to have tremendous financial costs," she said.

DeGette carried similar legislation last session and it failed. She says this time it has the backing of not only the diabetes caucus, which is the largest caucus in Congress with more than 360 Democrats and Republicans; but the black, Hispanic and Asian American caucuses.

The cost of the legislation has yet to be determined.