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"Senator Enlists Secretary Thompson's Help to Curb Diabetes On Reservations."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In an effort to curb diabetes on Montana's Indian reservations, U.S. Senator Max Baucus has asked the nation's top health official to come to Billings August 13 for a hearing focusing on the diabetes epidemic in Indian country.

Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has asked U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to visit Billings to share his thoughts on how Montanans can help curb diabetes on Montana's Indian reservations.

"I'm asking Secretary Thompson to come to Billings so we can show him first hand how bad the diabetes problem is our on reservations", Baucus said. "I want to hear his thoughts on what more we can do to curb this terrible disease that affects so many Native Americans."

The hearing is open to the public and will be on August 13, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, at the MSU-Billings Student Union Building Ballroom -- 1500 North 30th St.

Baucus said diabetes exposure on Montana's reservations has spiked in recent years.

"We've seen diabetes exposure increase dramatically in Montana", Baucus said. "As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I plan to use this hearing to raise awareness and respond to the serious and immediate concerns expressed by Montana tribal leaders."

The focus of the hearing, Baucus said, will be to seek specific recommendations from panelists on regulations and practices that can have a "positive impact on health in Indian Country."

"An alarming number of American Indian individuals have diabetes and the numbers are growing", Baucus said. "This disease is threatening the Native American population. We must get more help to the folks affected, and fast."

Baucus noted that in 1997 3,700 Native Americans in Montana had diabetes, or 15 percent of the total population of Native Americans.

Geri Small, president of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, recently told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that 443 of the about 7,000 people on her reservation had diabetes. Meanwhile, health screenings suggest that 86 percent of the reservation's children are at risk for the disease.

And health care for those with diabetes is also difficult to obtain, Baucus added, leaving many patients to travel great distances to get care.

"Tribal members tell me they have to travel up to 600 miles round trip three times a week for dialysis", Baucus said. "If they don't or can't make that trip even once, they die within the week. That's the reality and that's why we need to do more to curb this problem."

Baucus said the Indian Diabetes Hearing in Billings is a collaborative effort between federal and state health officials and Tribal members.

Contact: Bill Lombardi 406-449-5480 / Barrett Kaiser 202-224-4351