Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Chris Norwood, Executive Director of Health People, on Diabetes Prevention and Community Education
5:35:31
·
138 sec
Chris Norwood, Executive Director of Health People, testified about the lack of implementation of a diabetes reduction plan in New York City, despite previous efforts to create a comprehensive report. She highlighted the alarming increase in diabetes complications, particularly amputations, and criticized the absence of city funding for community-based peer-delivered diabetes education.
- Norwood reported a 100% increase in diabetes-related amputations over ten years, with 60% higher rates in The Bronx.
- She emphasized the effectiveness of peer-delivered diabetes education in reducing complications and saving costs.
- Norwood called for the implementation of an evidence-based citywide plan for community diabetes education, which has been repeatedly proposed but not acted upon.
Chris Norwood
5:35:31
It's on.
5:35:32
Okay.
5:35:32
Thank you for this hearing.
5:35:33
I'm Chris Norwood from Health People in the Bronx.
5:35:36
When former council member c Virginia Fields and I spent months and months working to produce the fierce urgency of now, investments to reduce diabetes in New York City, which became the foundational report for the city's diabetes reduction plan.
5:35:54
We, in the diabetes working group, expected to work with the city and the city council to put all our effort together for this crisis.
5:36:04
Actually, we never received even a word of thanks or appreciation from the council for this foundational work, and more important, what has happened, nothing.
5:36:15
Neither the city or the city council has implemented this absolutely vital reduction plan, and neither has assigned the least community funding to diabetes, the only major disease that remains so brutally neglected.
5:36:31
The updated city diabetes report came out Monday.
5:36:34
It's appalling, the data, particularly the disparities in complications that ruin people's lives, especially amputation which has increased by one hundred percent in ten years and is sixty percent higher in The Bronx.
5:36:51
What continues to stand out is that while diabetes is the sole major disease, which has no city funding for a community based peer delivered education, for diabetes that education is possibly the most effective for any disease.
5:37:07
Bringing down people's blood sugar modestly, which it does, brings down complications.
5:37:15
Emergency visits, saving the city tons of money.
5:37:18
It can outrightly prevent blindness and absolutely slashes the high depression rates in diabetes.
5:37:26
We have come back here year after year and presented a evidence based citywide plan to bring this kind of education to community after community.
5:37:37
Instead, the amputation rate has gone up a hundred percent without the council, the city health department, or the state health department saying or doing anything and that says it all.