By Zaffirini S.C.R. No. 33 75R6679 BNL-F 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.