Senator Clinton Announces Legislation to Help Combat Growing Rates of Diabetes Striking Pregnant Women in New York

Senator Clinton Announces Legislation to Help Combat Growing Rates of Diabetes Striking Pregnant Women in New York

Washington, DC - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced that she will introduce legislation to combat growing rates of diabetes striking pregnant women in New York. Her bill, the Gestational Diabetes (GEDI) Act, is aimed at lowering the incidence of gestational diabetes, which puts women at increased risk for problems during childbirth and puts their children at increased risk of developing debilitating Type 2 diabetes as adolescents or adults. Gestational diabetes has risen by a staggering 50 percent in New York in about a decade. In New York City alone, gestational diabetes now affects nearly 1 in 25 women, about 400 women per month.

"New York City's crisis should be a call to action. The tragic fact is that gestational diabetes is preventable, but too many women are unknowingly putting themselves and their children at risk. We need to raise awareness of this condition and do everything we can to turn these alarming statistics around," said Senator Clinton.

Gestational diabetes affects between four to eight percent of pregnant women in the United States and the numbers are growing. More women than ever are entering pregnancy overweight, which can trigger gestational diabetes and threaten the health of both the mother and child. Genetics, ethnicity, and maternal age are other risk factors for the disease.

New therapies and interventions to detect, treat, and slow the incidence of this disorder need to be identified. Senator Clinton's legislation will increase understanding of the factors that contribute to this condition and help mothers who develop gestational diabetes reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The GEDI Act will create a Research Advisory Committee headed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to monitor gestational diabetes and obesity during pregnancy to develop methods to prevent onset of Type 2 diabetes. The Act also will allocate funding through demonstration grants for projects to assist health care providers and communities in finding ways to reach out to women so they better understand how their health during pregnancy will impact their own as well as their child's health. The bill will also expand on current research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the CDC to help lower the incidences of gestational diabetes.

Senator Clinton's legislation is supported by the following organizations: the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American Association of Diabetes Educators, American Diabetes Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, Global Alliance for Women's Health, International Community Health Services the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, WithinReach and the Women's Health Council of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors.

http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=261661&&