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Local 8th grade diabetes advocate in Washington DC

Elizabeth Clark
For Immediate Release:                                                                                             Contact: Elizabeth Clark                           
                                                                                                                               [email protected]  cell (609)577-4577
 
 
New Jersey Diabetes Advocate Visits Washington, D.C.
to Urge Greater Federal Funding in the Effort to Stop Diabetes®
 
Hamilton Twp. NJ  March 14, 2011] – In an effort to Stop Diabetes and the devastating effects of this disease in our community, Amanda Clark and her mom Beth,  diabetes advocate leaders  in Hamilton Sq. NJ, joined more than 200 diabetes advocates from across the country in Washington, D.C. 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. Clark, a Reynolds Middle School 8th grader, and a Type 1 Diabetic, and her Mom were on board.
On March 10th, the Clark’s and the other advocates met with Members of Congress and their staff, including Rep. Chris Smith, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, Sen. Robert Menendez, and Sen. Frank Lautenberg,   to urge 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 that recognizes the magnitude of the nation’s diabetes epidemic. Staff members of each representative were very open and took time to listen to our concerns for our children and families living with Diabetes and the importance of further education and funding. Of the nearly 26 million Americans living with diabetes, more than 562,000 of them are residents of New Jersey.  Further students show that nearly q in every three children today will be diagnosed with diabetes in their life time.  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, the Clark’s collaborated with other Call to Congress participants from around the country 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. “Unless our country changes its course, one in three children will develop diabetes in their lifetime. 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.