Overview

A recent study by the Sinai Urban Health Institute shows that Puerto Ricans in Humboldt Park have one of the highest prevalence rates of Diabetes ever reported among any group of people. Other parts of this community also have high rates of the disease. Even more alarming, the Diabetes mortality rate for Puerto Ricans living in Humboldt Park is two times that of the city of Chicago and almost three times that of the rest of the nation.

Despite national efforts to improve screening and treatment for Diabetes our community continues to disproportionately bear the burden of this disease. We believe with immediate action to improve access and quality of care as well as aggressive culturally appropriate prevention approaches we can improve Diabetes rates in Humboldt Park and narrow the disparity in mortality.

A Diabetes Taskforce has been established with the purpose of developing and implementing a community-driven intervention in the Diabetes “hot spot” of Humboldt Park, which can be evaluated, and then adapted to other Latino communities throughout Illinois. To do this successfully we need to start “Entre Nosotros”, los Latinos.

Summit Goal

To develop an ACTION PLAN embedded in community empowerment and with clear strategies for the implementation of linguistic and culturally appropriate comprehensive public health programs, services, and public policies needed to respond to the diabetes crisis in Humboldt Park, and among Illinois Latinos in general.

Presentations

A Summit on Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes Luis R. Munoz, M.D., M.P.H.   Download (107 KB)         Metabolic Syndrome Anita Giraldo RD,LDN   Download (96 KB)         10 things that EVERYONE should know about DIABETES Steven K. Rothschild, MD Associate Professor, Rush Medical College   Download (109 KB)         Diabetes in Humboldt Park: Data As A Call to Action Abigail Silva, MPH Senior Epidemiologist, Sinai Urban Health Institute   Download (390 KB)