Albany town hall meeting Saturday to focus on diabetes
Research shows diabetes is a major health issue in Southwest Georgia
From Staff Reports
ALBANY —City Commissioner Jon Howard, in his town hall meeting on Saturday, is focusing on a health topic that affects a large number of people in the city and region — diabetes.
“Diabetes is a major health issue in Southwest Georgia,” Jon Howard, who represents Ward I on the Albany City Commission, said. “I urge everyone, especially those who suspect that they may be at risk, to attend this meeting to learn how to minimize your chances of developing this life-altering disease.”
How big is the issue? According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 29 million Americans suffer from diabetes and 85 million are pre-diabetic. An estimated 6 million Americans have the disease but are undiagnosed.
Experts say some who have type 2 diabetes, which comes from insulin resistance, have symptoms that are mild and they go unnoticed.
As with most diseases, medical officials say early detection is important. Treatment of diabetes can decrease the risk of developing the health complications ranging from loss of eyesight and nerve damage to death.
Howard’s town hall meeting is at 10 a.m. Saturday at the East Albany Community Center, 1721 E. Oglethorpe Blvd. The speaker will be Heather O’ Conner, a registered nurse and a certified diabetes educator at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.
Topics that will be addressed include explaining what diabetes is, determining whether you are at risk, testing for diabetes and pre-diabetes, children at risk for Type I diabetes, signs and symptoms of diabetes, and neuropathy and its causes.
According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes symptoms include frequent urination, feeling acute thirst, feeling hungry even when eating, extreme fatigue, blurred vision, cuts/bruises that are slow to heal, unintended weight loss, and tingling, pain or numbness in the hands or feet.
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