TITLE: Honoring The University of Texas Community Outreach for its achievements in promoting community-based prevention and control of diabetes and obesity.

SUMMARY: Honoring The University of Texas Community Outreach for its achievements in promoting community-based prevention and control of diabetes and obesity.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, In just one year, The University of Texas Community Outreach has made a measurable difference in the effort to prevent and control diabetes; and WHEREAS, UTCO currently serves people in Cameron, Galveston, Nueces, and Webb Counties who have diabetes or are at risk of developing the disease; the program employs Department of State Health Services-certified Community Health Workers to guide education, nutrition, and physical activity interventions, and between September 2009 and November 2010, UTCO achieved more than 39,000 contacts; and WHEREAS, Economic savings and health impacts as a result of this outreach have already been documented; a survey of Brownsville clients revealed that only 40.9 percent met physical activity guidelines without the intervention of a Community Health Worker, while 59.1 percent met the guidelines if a trained UTCO Community Health Worker guided an intervention; moreover, UTCO has seen decreases in participants' blood glucose levels, abdominal weight, and overall weight; and WHEREAS, The average annual cost to treat an individual with diabetes is $12,000; for a fraction of that, $21.50 per at-risk individual per year, UTCO provides in-home prevention assistance, screening and monitoring, media campaigns, exercise and nutrition classes, and facilities; the average lifetime treatment cost for a diabetic with end-stage renal disease is $1.5 million, while the UTCO annual budget for reaching 80,000 people in four counties is only $3 million; and WHEREAS, A diabetes epidemic is overwhelming the state and draining taxpayer funds; the low-cost UTCO model shifts the emphasis from treatment to prevention, utilizing permanent local expertise and infrastructure, and the program is indeed deserving of recognition; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby honor The University of Texas Community Outreach for its achievements in promoting community-based prevention and control of diabetes and obesity and commend all those associated with UTCO for their outstanding efforts; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for The University of Texas Community Outreach as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Raymond Straus Gonzales of Williamson Morrison Aliseda Gonzalez Munoz, Jr. Allen Gooden Murphy Alonzo Guillen Naishtat Alvarado Gutierrez Nash Anchia Hamilton Oliveira Anderson of Dallas Hancock Orr Anderson of McLennan Hardcastle Otto Aycock Harless Parker Beck Harper-Brown Patrick Berman Hartnett Paxton Bohac Hernandez Luna Pena Bonnen Hilderbran Perry Branch Hochberg Phillips Brown Hopson Pickett Burkett Howard of Fort Bend Pitts Burnam Howard of Travis Price Button Huberty Quintanilla Cain Hughes Raymond Callegari Hunter Reynolds Carter Isaac Riddle Castro Jackson Ritter Chisum Johnson Rodriguez Christian Keffer Schwertner Coleman King of Parker Scott Cook King of Taylor Sheets Craddick King of Zavala Sheffield Creighton Kleinschmidt Shelton Crownover Kolkhorst Simpson Darby Kuempel Smith of Harris Davis of Dallas Landtroop Smith of Tarrant J. Davis of Harris Larson Smithee S. Davis of Harris Laubenberg Solomons Deshotel Lavender Strama Driver Legler Taylor of Collin Dukes Lewis Taylor of Galveston Dutton Lozano Thompson Eiland Lucio III Torres Eissler Lyne Truitt Elkins Madden Turner Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey Farrar Margo Villarreal Fletcher Marquez Vo Flynn Martinez Walle Frullo Martinez Fischer Weber Gallego McClendon White Garza Menendez Woolley Geren Miles Workman Giddings Miller of Comal Zedler Gonzales of Hidalgo Miller of Erath Zerwas Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1386 was adopted by the House on April 28, 2011, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House