Mario Rosa, Program Coordinator for the Minority Health Coalition of La Porte County, began his presentation with a simple question: “How many of you know someone with diabetes?”
Every student in the classroom raised a hand -- and then shared stories of teenage friends with insulin pumps, relatives who had lost limbs or toes, neighbors who had died. Everyone it seems, including young students, knows someone whose life has been impacted by diabetes.
That’s why for five weeks in February and March, Rosa visited the A. K. Smith Career Center in Michigan City, presenting 35-minute sessions to close to 60 LaPorte County Career and Technical Education students in the Health Academy 1 and 2 classes.
Sessions in the Minority Health Coalition’s “Diabetes Education Program” not only gave facts and statistics about diabetes, but discussed the tie between diabetes and smoking and the importance of good nutrition and exercise in fighting the disease. Students also learned how to calculate their body mass index and monitor their blood pressure, which are essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
“The incidence of diabetes is especially high in the minority community,” said Rosa. “The vast majority of these Health Academy students will pursue a career in the medical field, and it is important for them to start out with a strong knowledge base about one of the chronic diseases that profoundly affects the minority community.”
Rosa, who is a diabetic himself, also shared his own experiences with the students. “I lost my father and several other family members due to complications that were brought on by diabetes,” he said. “It’s so important to share information with young people who can make changes to their own lifestyles and will be in a position to influence others to do the same.”