The ‘Most Diabetic Place in America’ begins the battle to change that label

NEWPORT, Arkansas — The “Most Diabetic Place in America” is fighting to erase that label.

News, Diabetes, Public HealthKatherine MitchellDecember 22, 2021Diabetes, obesity, Newport, Arkansas, Dr. Bala Simon, Jackson County, Dr. Dudley, prediabetes, Most diabetic place in America, Jackson County Wellness and Screening

Life-saving hormone ‘belongs to the world,’ scientists said. Insulin pricing challenges that concept.

In 1921, scientists in Canada discovered insulin. After winning the Nobel Prize, they sold the patent for $1 each, saying the hormone for battling diabetes “belongs to the world.”

Diabetes cases exploding among adolescents across the U.S., risks highest in Deep South

The number of diabetes cases among adolescents has nearly doubled since 2001, according to a new study by the American Medical Society. Those numbers are expected to quadruple by 2050.

Camp targets factors spurring Type 2 diabetes among young

Amid alarming increases in Type 2 diabetes among children, evidence suggests pre-diabetic kids are falling through the cracks when it comes to prevention efforts.

News, Diabetes, Public HealthKatherine MitchellSeptember 28, 2021Diabetes, blood sugar, adolescents, children, type 2 diabetes, black children, hispanic children, Mississippi pediatric, adult-onset diabetes, Diabetes belt, Strong 4 Life, Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, diabetes prevention

The ‘Most Diabetic Place in America’ grapples with the devastating disease that affects nearly 1 in 3 residents

NEWPORT, Arkansas – This is the most diabetic place in America.

None of those interviewed knew that. Not even the mayor. “I didn’t know it until you told me,” Mayor David Stewart said.

Over the past 3 years, diabetes has killed more Americans than all the wars over the past century. Mississippi is ‘ground zero’ in that fight.

Bombs are exploding across the nation, with injuries and casualties reaching the millions, but few recognize the war that is taking place, experts say.

That war is diabetes, and Mississippi is ground zero, the only state in the nation where every county is in what researchers call the diabetes belt.

News, Civil RIghts, Diabetes, Public HealthKatherine MitchellSeptember 8, 2021Diabetes, healthy food, food access, obesity, Diabetes belt, Stephen Farrow, Dan Hurley, poverty, processed foods, Mississippi Delta

‘The WORD’: A step of faith in preventing diabetes in underserved communities

Dr. Karen Yeary brought The WORD to churches in the Arkansas Delta.

The former professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences decided to introduce a lifestyle intervention plan through places of worship — The Wholeness, Oneness, Righteousness, Deliverance, a faith-based weight loss intervention to stem the ravages of diabetes.

‘When you’re diabetic, every decision you make will keep you alive or kill you.’

Frank Henn knew something was wrong on his spring break trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

News, Diabetes, Public HealthKatherine MitchellAugust 25, 2021Frank Henn, Diabetes, Organ donation, organ transplant, Diabetes type 1, Type 1 diabetic, insulin prices, chronic illness, glucose monitor, blood sugar

Diabetes and COVID forge deadly ‘perfect storm’

Amid the worst pandemic in a century, Mississippi is leading the nation in increased diabetes deaths per capita, according to a just-released study.

News, Diabetes, coronavirus, Coronavirus Pandemic, Public HealthKatherine MitchellAugust 18, 2021Diabetes, diabetes deaths, covid, covid-19, coronavirus, UMMC, Mississippi diabetes deaths, delta variant, field hospital, hospital tents

A Daughter’s Plea

GoFundMe began as a place to support social and similar causes, but now families battling diabetes are using the fundraising platform as a last-ditch attempt to cover the skyrocketing price of their life-saving drugs and supplies.

Delta native battled two life-threatening challenges: diabetes and distance

What started as a normal doctor’s appointment for Kaitlyn Wright quickly morphed into something more ominous.

News, Mississippi News, Diabetes, Immersion Student Story, Public HealthKatherine MitchellAugust 11, 2021Mississippi Delta, Kaitlyn Wright, Diabetes, blood glucose, insulin, rationing insulin, ketoacidosis, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Camp Hopewell, Diabetes summer camp

The Day I Heard the Words: ‘You Have Diabetes’

My hands trembled as my fears grew. The bright fluorescent lights blinded my eyes. A loud creak sounded from the door as the doctor entered.

News, Mississippi News, Diabetes, Immersion Student Story, Public HealthKatherine MitchellAugust 11, 2021Diabetes, Leah Clark, glucose monitor, CGMs, type 2 diabetic, Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi