Health Department staff walk (and work) to find a cure for diabetes

MCHD staff members, from left: James Currie, Margaret
McCulloch, Gail Butts, Irma Reyes, Leticia Harris and
Allisa Carl posed for a photo before a Walk for Diabetes
event held in Downtown Mobile on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013.



 

MOBILE, Ala. -- Despite murky clouds that threatened to drench downtown, at least half a dozen staff members of the Mobile County Health Department took part in a walk on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, to help raise awareness and money for diabetes, a disease that effects millions across the U.S.

Many of those who participated wore stickers on their chests that spelled out the names of those they supported. Gail Butts walked for her husband. James Currie walked for his dad, Saints fan Jim Currie. Margaret McCulloch, an organizer of the event, walked for her patients.

Alabama is among six states in the nation with a diabetes rate greater than 10 percent, health records show. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that some 11 percent of Alabama residents have the disease characterized by a person's inability to regulate their blood sugar. Only Mississippi has a higher rate, at 11.3, according to 2012 CDC data.

Locally, as many as 40,000 Mobile County residents are thought to have the disease. Dr. Bernard Eichold, MCHD health officer, addressed the issue during the state of the health of Mobile County news conference held last month at Alabama's oldest public health agency.

Getting a handle on the epidemic is critical, Eichold said.

Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose (sugar) levels. When a person has diabetes, the body either does not produce enough insulin or is unable to process its own insulin effectively, CDC data shows. Glucose builds up in the blood and and causes a condition, that if not controlled, can lead to serious health complications and even death. Diabetes also is a major cause of heart disease and stroke.

Average medical expenses are typically more than twice as high for a person with diabetes as they are for a person without the disease, according to the 2012 Diabetes Report Card, a publication of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.