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Assistant secretary for health at HHS: Diabetes educators unsung heroes of public health
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INDIANAPOLIS — The critical role of diabetes educators in the public health system was recognized here at the American Association for Diabetes Educators Annual Meeting and Exhibition by Howard Koh, MD, MPH, assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services.
During a keynote presentation, Koh described the state of health status among the American public and where the Affordable Care Act fits in.
Howard Koh
“We know that our good health is essentially a gift. We know how precious it is, how fragile it is, and we know that it needs to be protected every day. The best way to protect that gift of health is to develop an attitude of gratitude, and also to be passionate about the importance of prevention and public health, as well as medical care,” Koh said.
Speaking to AADE meeting attendees, Koh said diabetes educators are the unsung heroes of public health today.
“We understand not only the challenges of individual care, but also the importance of broad prevention for the community and, indeed, the nation at large,” he said.
According to Koh, the prevalence of diabetes has increased so drastically that one in three people will have diabetes by 2050, if trends continue.
Currently, 26 million Americans live with diabetes, 7 million of whom are undiagnosed, he said. Koh called the rising incidence of diabetes a “public health tragedy.”
Since 1990, the incidence of diabetes has almost tripled, due in part to the obesity epidemic, as well as an aging population in the United States, Koh said.
“Diabetes increases the risk for death, affects quantity of life and just as importantly, it affects quality of life, being the leading cause of new cases of blindness among people aged 20 to 74 years,” Koh said.
In addition, diabetes is the lead cause of renal failure and a major cause of nontraumatic limb amputations, he added.
Koh said diabetes educators and public health professionals now have more opportunities through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) signed into law by President Obama in March 2010 and recently upheld by the US Supreme Court.
“I hope that you also can point out as public health professionals and diabetes educators, that the ACA is about better insurance, better care and, perhaps most importantly, better prevention. So we really have a chance to build a system of public health for the first time with respect to diabetes,” Koh said. – by Samantha Costa
For more information:
Koh H. #GS01. Presented at: The American Association of Diabetes Educators 2012 Annual Meeting & Exhibition; Aug. 1-4; Indianapolis.
Disclosure: Dr. Koh reports no relevant financial disclosures.