Area Latinos Too Young to Keep Diabetes Program
by May 28, 2001 12:00 am 72 views
St. Mary’s Hospital in Rogers will shut down its Hispanic diabetic outreach June 30 for lack of funding, said program director Irma Gotsche. The concept, Amigos en la Salud or Friends in Health, offered free diabetes screenings and bilingual classes for Latinos who were diagnosed with the disease.
Although Washington and Benton counties have a combined Latin population of 26,392, 30.1 percent of the state’s Hispanic population, Gotsche said, the area statistics weren’t high enough to keep the program running. The original grant of $500,000 came from the Sisters of Mercy in St. Louis.
Nationally, 16 percent of all Hispanics have diabetes, she said, but only about 3 percent of Northwest Arkansas Latinos have been diagnosed with diabetes. The age of the population makes the difference. The average age of Hispanics in Northwest Arkansas is 36, Gotsche said, and the risks of diabetes grow exponentially in older populations.
The grant was withdrawn, and the last diabetes class met in April.
Both Tyson Foods Inc. and George’s Inc. in Springdale hosted separate screenings through the program. About 1,800 people were screened for symptoms of the disease since the program’s genesis three years ago, Gotsche said, and an average of 30 people attended the semi-monthly classes.