WHEREAS, an estimated 34 million people in the United States have diabetes, a serious disease that has no cure; more than one million adults report having been diagnosed with diabetes by a health care professional in North Carolina and an estimated more than 72,000 North Carolinians are diagnosed with diabetes annually; and
WHEREAS, while diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in North Carolina, approximately one in five people with diabetes do not know they have the disease; and
WHEREAS, complications from diabetes include heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, hearing loss, and amputation; and
WHEREAS, racial and ethnic minority populations in North Carolina have an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes; and
WHEREAS, more than one in three North Carolinians may have prediabetes, a condition that puts them at a greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes; and
WHEREAS, type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of diagnosed diabetes cases in adults in the United States and can be prevented or delayed through participation in a diabetes prevention lifestyle change program; and
WHEREAS, North Carolinians can visit the DiabetesFreeNC.com website to find out if they are at risk for the disease; those living with diabetes can visit the website DiabetesManagementNC.com to find a diabetes self-management education and support service near them; and
WHEREAS, an increase in community awareness or risk factors and symptoms related to diabetes can improve the likelihood that people with, or at risk for, diabetes will get the attention they need before suffering the devasting complications;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim November, 2022, as “DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.