STC to host Prevent, Treat and Beat Diabetes Symposium
For the second consecutive year, South Texas College will host the Prevent, Treat and Beat Diabetes Symposium, an event focused on raising awareness about one of the Rio Grande Valley’s most prevalent diseases.
For the second consecutive year, South Texas College will host the Prevent, Treat and Beat Diabetes Symposium, an event focused on raising awareness about one of the Rio Grande Valley’s most prevalent diseases.
In collaboration with South Texas Health System, Prominence Health Plan and Unidos Contra la Diabetes, STC’s Nursing and Allied Health campus will host multiple events and activities regarding nutrition and exercise, that are free and open to the public.
Dean of STC’s Nursing and Allied Health Jayson Valerio, D.N.P., commented on the urgency to combat this issue in the RGV, especially, when in recent years, Brownsville has been named the city with the highest percentage of adults diagnosed with diabetes in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Our community has a high incidence of diabetes across the nation, complicated by other health issues such as obesity and heart problems. It’s a tough disease to combat, especially when it becomes an economical issue with many impoverished residents opting for processed food which is more affordable than organic, healthy-food”, said Valerio.
Recent data from Unidos Contra la Diabetes indicates that 27% percent of the population in the RGV has been diagnosed with Diabetes Type II in the last few years, almost three times as high as the general population of the United States. In Texas more than 621,000 people have diabetes but don’t know it, greatly increasing the community’s health risk.
“Our goal is to help fight diabetes as a community which is why we have divided our focus in various categories such as; adults, children, seniors, caregivers and, Spanish speakers,” said Tom Castañeda, South Texas Health System director of Marketing and Communications. “An important sector for us to aid is our elderly, we want to ensure that we're offering them an exercise plan that is safe for them.”
Castañeda explained that the event will also focus on mental health awareness to understand how diabetes can affect people’s lives. Yoga and meditation classes are included in this category.
Our community has a high incidence of diabetes across the nation, complicated by other health issues such as obesity and heart problems. It’s a tough disease to combat, especially when it becomes an economical issue with many impoverished residents opting for processed food which is more affordable than organic, healthy-food
“We will also focus on families, we want to encourage people to support their loved ones that suffer from this disease by cooking healthy for the entire family,” he said. “Because we are a bilingual community, this year we have added presentations in Spanish, so Spanish speakers can also learn about preventing diabetes.”
A discussion panel called “Addressing Diabetes as a Community,” will kick off the symposium on Diabetes Alert Day on Tuesday, March 28 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., where health care experts and leaders will talk about strategies to help prevent and combat the chronic health condition.
On Friday, March 31, children will be welcomed at STC’s Nursing and Allied Health campus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to participate in fun and educational exercise and cooking demonstrations.
“We’re going to present a kid-friendly talk about preventing diabetes and hopefully this will have a ripple effect where the children share what they learn and it'll grow into a movement to beat diabetes as a community by rallying together,” said Castañeda. “This is a disease that can be prevented by simple actions and lifestyle modifications so we must start educating our community at a young age to create healthy habits.”
Instructors and students from STC’s Nursing and Allied Health programs will participate offering educational information about nutrition focusing on providing various examples of healthy snacks such as fruit or walnuts.
The main event will be on Saturday, April 1 from 10 am to 6 pm, where, in addition to educational seminars, free wellness checks and screenings such a calculation of BMI (Body mass index) as well as blood pressure and glucose will be offered onsite by health professionals, aided by STC nursing students.
“We're honored to be partnering with South Texas College on such an important issue. Now more than ever it’s crucial to raise awareness about the dangers of diabetes and get our community to start working on prevention,” said Castañeda.