Md. Health Department using targeted outreach to tackle pre-diabetes this summer

By Deborah BaileyAFRO Contributing Editordbailey@afro.com Pamela Williams, Maryland Department of Health’s director of Cancer and Chronic Diseases. (Courtesy photo) It’s not your imagination. You really have been seeing more health prevention ads in your social media feed.& If you live in one of Maryland’s high health risk areas for diabetes, heart attack, stroke or other chronic diseases, Maryland’s Department of Health is actively looking for you.& More than one-third of Marylanders are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that can lead to diabetes. Baltimore City, Prince George’s County and Somerset County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore are three areas where Black Marylanders have particularly elevated levels of diabetes and other chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke and brain diseases like Alzheimer’s.So health officials are seeking to halt diabetes before it starts in high-risk communities across the state by identifying people who have a high likelihood of developing pre-diabetes and getting them connected with health prevention efforts.& “We’ve been doing diabetes outreach for the past three years. We are promoting prevention activities Marylanders can engage in to avert a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes,” Williams said.& Obesity is a risk factor that accompanies diabetes, according to health experts. In Baltimore, Prince...