radicalroads » 3pm - July 11, 2011
According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control, 33% of the US population may have diabetes by the year 2050. This widely reported prediction has shocked the health care community, but the feared impact of this potential health crisis is impacting South Texas today. With diabetes rates approaching 30% within its borders, Cameron County, Texas, offers a cautionary tale of the strain of a rapidly expanding diabetic population. During this moment in history when we are debating and defining a new health care context, the existing diabetes epidemic along the Texas border cannot be ignored.
This is a story of a struggle within a community and the health care system that serves it. The script for the health of the nation is being written here.
Documentary Goal
To increase awareness and focus on community efforts to fight a growing diabetes epidemic along the Texas border. The lessons learned along the South Texas border may be relevant in developing a health care policy capable of ad-dressing the needs of a dramatically increasing diabetic population nationwide. This documentary film is being de-veloped to help educate people about the causes and complications of diabetes, as well as reactions to a disease that is becoming a part of life in Rio Grande Valley. It will also attempt to examine how local stakeholders are applying unique strategies to deal with this growing epidemic.
