BILL NUMBER: SCR 134CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 178 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 30, 2016 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 31, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Senator Pan APRIL 25, 2016 Relative to diabetes prevention. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 134, Pan. Diabetes: the "Screen at 23" campaign. This measure would urge the State Department of Public Health to endorse the "Screen at 23" campaign to screen all adult Asian Americans with a body mass index of 23 or higher for type II diabetes. WHEREAS, Approximately 2.5 million Californians, or 9 percent of the population, are diagnosed with diabetes, 46 percent of Californians are estimated to have prediabetes, and residents of Asian American heritage comprise 14 percent of the population of the State of California; and WHEREAS, Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death among Asian Americans; and WHEREAS, Asian Americans are 30 percent more likely to have diabetes than White Americans and are also at greater risk of developing prediabetes, diabetes, and associated risks at a lower body mass index (BMI) than White, Hispanic, Black, or Native Americans; and WHEREAS, Asian Americans face a health care disparity in type II diabetes detection and diagnosis, as the current guidelines for screening Asian Americans at a body mass index of 25kg/m2 not only miss 36 percent of diabetes diagnoses, or approximately 116,000 individuals, in California but also underestimate the prevalence of prediabetes among Asian Americans; and WHEREAS, Two out of three persons with type II diabetes die from heart attack or stroke, and adults with diabetes are at risk for developing end-stage renal disease and kidney failure, blindness, and lower limb loss; and WHEREAS, The per capita health care cost of diabetes in California is $14,800 per year and the annual cost for diabetes in California is $37.1 billion, including $27.6 billion in medical costs and $9.5 billion in indirect costs and productivity loss; and WHEREAS, Thirty-eight percent of all hospitalized Asian Americans in California have diabetes, which leads to more expensive hospital care regardless of the reason for hospitalization; and WHEREAS, Early detection and treatment can mitigate diabetes-related complications, risks and costs; and WHEREAS, Interventions focusing on nutrition, physical activity, and healthy weight loss have been shown to reverse prediabetes, improve glucose function in diabetics, and reduce the need for multiple medications; and WHEREAS, Screening Asian American patients at a BMI of 23 instead of 25 would unmask over 67,000 diabetes cases, and many thousands more prediabetes cases in California, thereby initiating treatment or early interventions to reduce negative comorbidities like heart diseases, kidney diseases, and limb amputation; and WHEREAS, The National Institutes of Health recently found that more than half of Asian Americans with diabetes are undiagnosed and community-based participatory research and studies on Asian American subpopulations have shown that Asian Americans develop diabetes at a lower body mass index; and WHEREAS, The World Health Organization recommends screening Asian patients at a lower body mass index than non-Hispanic Whites, and the 2015 official guidelines of the American Diabetes Association recommend that Asian Americans should be tested for type II diabetes at a body mass index of 23; and WHEREAS, The Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Diabetes Coalition has coordinated the "Asian BMI" efforts of over 15 national and regional organizations, culminating in the launch of the "Screen at 23" campaign; and WHEREAS, California has the opportunity to become one of the first states to formally recognize and recommend screening adult Asian Americans for type II diabetes at a body mass index of 23, enabling thousands of individuals to get the early care and treatment needed to live healthier and happier lives; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature endorses and supports the "Screen at 23" campaign; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature urges the State Department of Public Health to endorse and support the "Screen at 23" campaign's efforts to increase awareness of diabetes among Asian American communities, including the use of appropriate screening measures for Asian American patients and to eliminate disparities; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature urges the State Department of Public Health to encourage all public and private health providers and facilities to also participate in these efforts; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author, the Governor, and the Director of the State Department of Public Health for appropriate distribution.