Domenici, Dorgan Cosponsor Bill To Reauthorize Critical Indian Diabetes And Research Funding

Press Release

DOMENICI, DORGAN COSPONOR BILL TO REAUTHORIZE CRITICAL INDIAN DIABETES AND RESEARCH FUNDING

U.S. Senators Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) today announced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize critical public health programs to address the growing diabetes epidemic among American Indian and Native Alaskan populations.

The Special Diabetes Program for Indians Act of 2007 would reauthorize two critical public health programs -- the Special Diabetes Program for Indians and the Special Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes Research. The Domenici-Dorgan bill would also increase funding for each program to $200 million annually for each the next five years. This will provide another $1.0 billion over the next five years for both programs.

"Unless Congress reauthorizes these programs, funding for their efforts and activities will run out next year. We can't let that happen. The Special Diabetes Program for Indians has made an enormous and substantial impact on the problem of diabetes in Indian communities. But the problem remains an epidemic for the Indian people. To halt funding now would be devastating. Reauthorization of these vital programs will help save lives. It is the right thing to do and it is a smart investment of our healthcare dollars," said Domenici, who serves on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

"Diabetes afflicts Native Americans more than any other ethnic or racial group in the United States. Some tribes have the onerous distinction of having the highest diabetes rate in the world. Indian people are 318 percent more likely to die from diabetes than the general population. It is critical that the effort to battle diabetes among Native Americans continue, and urgent that it be strengthened and improved, which is what our legislation would do," said Dorgan, chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

Currently, the Special Diabetes Program for Indians provides $150 million annually for Indian Health Services (IHS), tribes and tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations to prevent and treat diabetes. The Special Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes allocates $150 million each year for research, development of therapies, and treatment methods to help diabetics treat the disease in the long term.

Though diabetes occurs among all ethnic groups, it has reached epidemic levels among American Indian populations. In some tribes, 50 percent of the adult population is diabetic.

According to the American Diabetic Association, nearly 21 million Americans suffer from this devastating disease, and diabetes is now the sixth leading cause of death in United States. The economic toll is equally staggering, with medical costs, disability, work loss, and premature mortality adding up to $132 billion yearly.

Domenici authored the Special Diabetes Program for Indians and the Special Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes Research as part of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. Initial funding in 1997 was set at $30 million annually, but later grew to the current $150 million a year.

Since its creation, the Special Diabetes Program for Indians has allowed IHS to establish 400 new federally supported diabetic treatment and prevent programs in Native communities. The funding has helped provide medications, therapies, clinical exams, and screenings to avert complication. It has also funded important prevention efforts including physical fitness programs, medical nutrition therapy, wellness activities, and children and youth targeted initiatives.

The Special Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes Research has helped support research efforts to identify genetic susceptibility, to cultivate therapies to slow or in some cases reverse the progression of the disease, and to develop tools and methods to help diabetics better manage the disease in the long term.

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