GALVESTON, Texas - The 81st Texas Legislative session approved $6 million for the Stark Diabetes Center at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to expand its community-based model for preventing and treating diabetes.
Through the efforts of UTMB’s Dr. Kirk Smith, the Stark Diabetes Center will partner with the Texas Diabetes Council to initiate regional community-based prevention and control programs in Cameron, Webb, Nueces and Galveston counties.
The programs will focus on preventing or curbing the symptom of diabetes through lifestyle changes that include diet and exercise. The Stark model delivers comprehensive diabetes prevention at a cost of $21.50 per at-risk individual per year, compared to an average cost of $12,000 per year to treat an individual with diabetes.
“Our current method of treating diabetes is physician-centered and clinic-based and results in a high-cost treatment strategy,” Smith said. “We treat people who already have the disease. The state, in approving our proposal, is recognizing that we need also to advance our health care system so that we deliver truly effective, cost-efficient prevention services and reach people where they live.
“The legislators are, in effect, saying, ‘We think that Stark has figured out a way and we ought to use their model.’”
Smith is working with state officials to help establish the regional centers.
Dr. Manisha Chandalia, director of the Stark Diabetes Center, said the appropriation “validates the center’s success and provides an opportunity to invest in the prevention of a disease that costs millions more dollars each year to treat. A strong coordinated effort to prevent diabetes and optimize diabetes management to prevent its complications can be accomplished statewide.”
Dr. Garland D. Anderson, provost and executive vice president of UTMB, said the appropriation will allow UTMB to meld its recognized strengths in community-based care and diabetes research and treatment to benefit Texans. “I am grateful that the Legislature and Gov. Perry recognize the significance of this program at a time when diabetes is a critical health issue - not only in Texas, but in the United States and other countries,” Anderson said.
According to Dr. Victor Gonzalez, chairman of the Texas Diabetes Council, almost 2 million Texans 18 years of age and older are estimated to be diagnosed with the disease and an additional 460,000 remain undiagnosed. He said diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death for Texans and costs the state more than $442 million in Medicaid dollars each year.
UTMB was established in 1891 as the University of Texas Medical Department and has grown from one building, 23 students and 13 faculty members to a modern health science center. The 84-acre campus includes four schools, three institutes for advanced study, a major medical library, a network of hospitals and clinics that provide a full range of primary and specialized medical care and numerous research facilities. UTMB is a component of the University of Texas System.
The Stark Diabetes Center opened its doors in 2001 and is one of the few Southeast Texas facilities dedicated to offering educational programs and resources that help patients manage diabetes. This incurable disease prevents the body from producing or properly using insulin, the hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy. While the cause of diabetes is still unknown, researchers have found that genetics and environmental factors, such as sedentary lifestyles and obesity, appear to play significant roles.