HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson reaffirmed HHS' commitment to fighting diabetes in Hispanic and Native American youth in a speech on Monday, Oct. 14 to a conference of the VHA Health Foundation. The conference marks the start of a new VHA Health Foundation educational program designed to target parents and children. "Diabetes Awareness and Education for Hispanic and Native American Youth" will launch in November (Diabetes Awareness Month) in 25 communities nationwide.

Today, about 17 million Americans have diabetes - about one out of every twenty. For Hispanics, the proportion is double that - about one out of every ten. Children are hit especially hard. Type 2 Diabetes was once a disease of adults 40 and older. Now it's found in children as young as eight.

And the risk factors for diabetes have increased, too. The number of overweight children has tripled in the past two decades. And over 10 percent of pre-school-aged children between ages 2 and 5 are overweight, up from 7 percent in 1994. Children of minorities like Hispanics and Native American suffer disproportionately.

"All of these facts are too troubling to ignore and too grim to accept. And I'm here to today to tell you, this Administration is not accepting them - we're acting to change them, and acting boldly and with energy and focus," Secretary Thompson said.

HHS is working to educate the public through targeted efforts, including the National Diabetes Education Program, the bilingual "Take Time to Care About Diabetes" campaign, and "Cuide Su Corazon," a campaign designed to help Hispanic Americans understand what they can do to help prevent diabetes and heart disease. The Secretary's Prevention campaign, which educates Americans about the benefits of preventive efforts such as a healthy diet, exercise, and doctor's visits, is also a key component of this effort.

The VHA Health Foundation is a public foundation headquartered in Irving, Texas. With more than 2,200 members, VHA (formerly known as the "Volunteer Hospitals of America") is the nation's largest alliance of community-owned health care organizations and physicians. The VHA Corporation created the VHA Health Foundation in 1998, with the stated mission of encouraging community health leadership and innovation.