By Berlanga                                    H.C.R. No. 114

      75R6679 BNL-F                           

                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, Diabetes is a devastating disease that poses a

 1-2     serious public health risk for Texans; more than 860,000

 1-3     individuals have been diagnosed with diabetes, and 860,000 more are

 1-4     suffering from the disease but have not yet been diagnosed; and

 1-5           WHEREAS, The costs of treating complications that arise from

 1-6     diabetes are high in terms of human suffering, lost income, medical

 1-7     expenses, and costs to state-supported medical care programs; a

 1-8     host of debilitating complications can arise if the disease goes

 1-9     untreated, resulting in amputations, blindness, kidney failure,

1-10     heart disease, birth defects, and strokes, but thankfully, patients

1-11     can be taught to prevent these complications by adhering to

1-12     guidelines on diet, weight, exercise, and medical care; and

1-13           WHEREAS, Public health programs in our state are crucial to

1-14     the dissemination of information about diabetes and the development

1-15     of diabetes services for all Texans; to this end, the Texas

1-16     Diabetes Council has developed A Plan to Control Diabetes in Texas

1-17     for the express purposes of reducing illness from the disease,

1-18     educating the public, and fostering widespread support for

1-19     essential health care services; and

1-20           WHEREAS, In addition, the American Diabetes Association

1-21     encourages the development of a sound public policy that emphasizes

1-22     proper education, treatment, and self-management, thus ensuring

1-23     patients the same high quality of life enjoyed by other Texans; and

1-24           WHEREAS, It is the express desire of the Texas Legislature to

 2-1     raise public awareness of this growing health care problem in our

 2-2     state and to voice care and concern for diabetes patients; now,

 2-3     therefore, be it

 2-4           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

 2-5     hereby designate March 5, 1997, as Diabetes Day in Texas and

 2-6     encourage all Texans to educate themselves about the symptoms,

 2-7     risks, and treatments of this disease.