ESC Lights Up Blue for World Diabetes Day Nov. 13
Nov 12, 2010
November 10, 2010
Blue Light Beams on Edison State’s Walker Hall for World Diabetes Day
The Kenneth Walker Health Sciences building at Edison State College will be lit blue on November 13 at 5:30pm in honor of World Diabetes Day. Mayor Randy Henderson, Jr. will attend the Lee Campus event and present a proclamation from the City of Ft. Myers in support of the United Nations Resolution on Diabetes. For the second year, Edison State will join iconic landmarks around the globe as blue beacons of hope for the 246 million people worldwide with diabetes.
At 4:30, families affected by type 1 diabetes will plant a “Syringe Garden” to highlight the thousands of life-saving insulin injections required by this chronic disease. 3000 syringes will be planted in a circle to represent the quantity of insulin injections needed to keep a person with the disease alive for one year.
The Media and Public are invited to attend. World Diabetes Day “Light Up in Blue” Event,
November 13, 2010 from 4:30pm -6:00pm (presentation remarks at 5:30). Edison State College, Walker Hall (parking Lot 1), 8099 College Parkway, Ft Myers
Edison State College Lee Campus joins the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in commemorating World Diabetes Day to raise awareness of the worldwide diabetes epidemic. Type 2 diabetes, a metabolic disorder that can be prevented or delayed with a healthy lifestyle, is the most common form of the disease affecting 21 million Americans today. In contrast, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that cannot be prevented and accounts for 5 to 10% of all diabetics.
The importance of education and awareness is linked to the rising incidence of both type 1 and type 2 worldwide. The incidence of type 1 diabetes is expected to double every 20 years. The fastest rate of growth, however, is in the 0-5 aged population where the incidence is expected to double by the year 2020. Type 2, though we associate it with obesity, is rising faster than the rate of obesity and rising rapidly even in third world countries were people are malnourished.
The costs of diabetes are staggering. According to statistics from JDRF:
· One of every five health care dollars is spent on diabetes in the US.
· The annual cost of diabetes in the US economy in 2007 was $174 billion
· The medical expenses for Americans with diabetes is 2.3 times higher compared to those without diabetes
· 32% of the Medicare budget is spend on diabetes
· The risk of heart attack or stroke in Americans with diabetes is 2 to 4 times higher compared to people without the disease
Edison State College is pleased to advance the awareness of diabetes and to further educate our community about the signs and implications of the disease.
For information about the JDRF, contact Cynthia Kemp at (941) 725-2614 .
For media inquiries contact Meg Hawthorne, Public Information Specialist at Edison State College (Lee Campus) 239-489-9306 or mahawthorne@edison.edu.
Celebrating nearly 50 years of excellence, Edison State College is Southwest Florida’s largest, most established, accessible and affordable institution of higher education. Proud to be tobacco-free, Edison State serves more than 20,000 students per year in five counties and through the Edison Online virtual campus. For more information please visit www.edison.edu.
Last Updated: November 12, 2010
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