Almost a hundred residents participated in the Family Fun Walk which had the theme, “Strengthening Health Care: Why You Should Care.”
The event was sponsored by the Commonwealth Diabetes Coalition, the Marianas Health Services, the Ayuda Network Inc. and the Pacific Wellness Center.
Before they started, Northern Marianas College freshman student Isaac testified how he continues to see the brighter side of life while undergoing treatment for diabetes.
Isaac is among the more than 3,600 diabetes patients treated at the Commonwealth Health Center.
Isaac narrated what he and his family had gone through after he was diagnosed with diabetes which, according to Department of Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez, is the leading cause of mortality not only in the CNMI but in other Pacific islands.
“I would never give up,” Isaac said in his remark prior to the Fun Walk that started at 5 p.m. at the Garapan Fishing Base and ended at the 13 Fishermen Memorial along Beach Road.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial signed the proclamations designating November as Diabetes Prevention and Awareness Month and Home Care Month, and the first seven days of November as National Caregivers Week.
Deputy Health Secretary Lyn Tenorio said their department has been actively and consistently working with the community and other partners in implementing programs for the prevention of diabetes in the CNMI.
Marianas Health Services’ George Cruz said over the past several years, the CNMI has been experiencing “an epidemic of mass proportions.”
He was referring to diabetes which, he noted, has affected the fabric of CNMI culture and created a burden on the healthcare system.
The latest data from Public Health showed that as of 2007, there were 148 new cases of diabetes.
The data also showed that 85 males and 63 females were diagnosed with diabetes last year.
According to the latest report, more than 70 percent of adult patients admitted to the medical-surgical wards at CHC had been diagnosed with diabetes and this contributed to the rising healthcare costs in the CNMI, which included expensive tertiary off-island referrals.
