Every other person in the valley is diagnosed with diabetes and so far, about $1 billion dollars has been spent in treatment and research.
Its a silent killer and about 24 million people across the nation have been diagnosed with diabetes, that’s about the same amount of people living here in Texas.
And with the problem growing here in the valley healthcare professionals say it shouldn't be taken lightly.
Dr. Ann Albright from the CDC said, "The problem is large here and I think that its important for people to understand, and its a significant problem in this part of Texas.”
In Texas,17 million have been diagnosed, but what’s even more alarming, an estimated 426 thousand that have diabetes, don't even know it.
That's why the Director for the Division of Diabetes Translation, Dr. Albright came to the valley to discuss prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.
Dr. Victor Gonzalez Chair, of the Texas Diabetes Council said “"The purpose of these round tables is to identify what the problems are in different regions of the state, because as you would imagine not the same problems occur everywhere."
Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death in Texas and the prevalence across the state exceeds the national average.
Now the federal and state government are under taking this massive effort, like hosting meetings like this one, in places like the Rio Grande valley, Houston and Dallas.
"It’s nice to think that the federal government is going to help us, and the state legislature is going come together to help us, but there’s a lot we can do locally with ourselves and our family." Said Paula Gomez from the Brownsville Community Health Center.
And she is right prevention starts with you..
Paula Gonzalez tells Action 4 News the first thing you can do is get an annual check up.
Second, eat healthy, limit your portion size, even if its fat free.
Finally, exercise, even if its only for thirty minutes a day, then build up from there.
And despite numbers around the nation Dr. Gonzalez thinks the solution starts right here at home.
"We need to know what the problem is, we need to bring the right people together, which is what I feel we have here today and then start working on solutions." Said Dr. Gonzalez.
If you or a family member have diabetes and would like some help you can call the American Diabetes Association at 956-631-1118.
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