Chicago Campaign Targets Hispanic People With Diabetes

Chicago health officials are launching a diabetes outreach and education program targeting Hispanic adults and school-age children, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The federally funded program, which costs an estimated $2.4 million, will be run by the University of Illinois-Chicago's Midwest Latino Health Research Training and Policy Center. It will run for three years and operate in six South Side Chicago communities, educating doctors on the most recent diabetes treatment guidelines and tracking treatments with a "centralized data system." The program, which will also target African Americans, will also teach patients and their families about nutrition, exercise and foot care (people with diabetes have decreased blood circulation in legs and feet). The program will work with schools and community and religious leaders to offer healthier choices for children, including removing vending machines from schools and making parks safer so that "kids exercise more." According to the Sun-Times, 25% of Hispanic adults and a "growing number of [Hispanic] teens" have diabetes, and Aida Giachello, director of the Center, said, "The problem is getting worse." The Sun-Times reports that poverty, low education and lack of health insurance play a significant role in the higher rate of diabetes among Hispanics and that the problems are compounded by the fact that many Hispanics do not speak English. Dr. Enrique Martinez, a Spanish-speaking internist at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, said, "When you throw in the language barrier, it's a nightmare" (Ritter, Chicago Sun-Times, 2/24).