KET offers program about diabetes prevention and control
This programming could not be more timely, since Kentucky, along with parts of Appalachia and the Deep South, is part of the nation’s Diabetes Belt. Diabetes rates are 11 percent or higher in many counties, and as much as 25 percent of Kentucky’s Medicaid budget goes towards treating the complications of type 2 diabetes, according to the program guide.
Experts will discuss statewide education and prevention methods and the changes individuals can make to avoid diabetes.
This show will explain the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the function of the pancreas and insulin, and the role that diet and exercise play to help control diabetes complications and even prevent the onset of diabetes. It will offer personal stories of people who are living with diabetes, explain the concept of pre-diabetes and how to prevent it, and discuss specific ways we can help resolve this growing problem.
Program guests include Dr. Raymond Reynolds, professor of internal medicine, endocrinology fellowship program director, and director of the Barnstable Brown Diabetes and Obesity Center at the University of Kentucky; Theresa Renn, coordinator of the Kentucky Diabetes Prevention and Control Program; Tami Ross, a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, and nationally recognized speaker and health and nutrition writer; Stewart Perry, a Lexington insurance broker who has been living with Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years and is a policy advocate on the state and national level for the Kentucky Diabetes Prevention and Control Program and the American Diabetes Association.