WASHINGTON – With the diabetes epidemic still raging in Indian country, federal lawmakers are being asked to support improved ways to combat the often debilitating disease.

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held an oversight hearing June 30 on Capitol Hill, highlighting what was billed as “the growing crisis of diabetes” in Indian country and the need for new treatment and research.

SCIA Chairman Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said the federal government should be doing a better job at addressing the disease.

“Diabetes has become a nationwide health care crisis, and the crisis has struck particularly hard in our Native American communities. The outdated and underfunded health care system on Indian lands hinders the ability of Native Americans with diabetes to get necessary treatment. We need to improve the diabetes prevention and treatment programs in Indian country.”

Along those lines, Dorgan has introduced legislation to reauthorize the Special Diabetes Program, a program that provides research funding for Type 1 diabetes, and prevention and education programs for Indian tribes. The bill is popular, with 60 co-sponsors.

The Special Diabetes Program for Indians has been around since 1997 and its funding runs out in 2011. Researchers said the program has led to clinical advancements in delaying the full onset of diabetes and reducing the risk of serious complications to diabetics, such as kidney failure and heart attack.

Given the hurdles that Indian health programs have sometimes faced in getting reauthorized, advocates are pushing for immediate action.

“I will work for passage of this bill so this important program can continue,” Dorgan promised in a statement.

Even with the program in place, Judith Fradkin, a director with the National Institutes of Health, testified that diabetes continues to strike Indian populations at the greatest rate of all racial groups. She said that more than 24 million people have diabetes, with another 6 million undiagnosed and close to 50 million borderline diabetics. The prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. has increased more than four-fold over the last 30 years.

For Native Americans, Fradkin said the prevalence rate is double the national average. In some tribal communities the prevalence of diabetes has reached well over 60 percent, according to studies.

IHS data on American Indian and Alaska Native youth, between 1990 and 2009, reveals a 161 percent increase in Type 2 diabetes in those younger than 15.

The statistics are nothing new to West Studi, a Cherokee actor and health advocate, who testified at the hearing.

“For years, Type 2 diabetes has ravaged tribal communities and has had a devastating physical, emotional, and spiritual impact on our people. I have family and friends living with diabetes and I know people in our community who have endured amputations and other devastating complications of diabetes as a result of not having access to quality diabetes care.”

But Studi said it is important to maintain hope. “Across Indian country, there are inspiring stories of elders, community leaders, women, men, and even children, who have been empowered with the knowledge and tools to effectively combat this disease.”

And he said the reauthorization of the Special Diabetes Program is crucial. The Indian program has a presence in 35 states and supports more than 450 IHS, tribal and urban Indian health programs.

“It has allowed tribal communities to implement a wide range of strategies to address the burden of diabetes in a manner that is most effective and culturally appropriate for our diverse and unique communities,” Studi said.

He said that with ongoing support from members of Congress, tribal communities, and the Indian health system, “We can continue to work in partnership to change the landscape of diabetes and transform the overall health and wellness of American Indian and Alaska Native people.”

Melvina McCabe, president of the Association of American Indian Physicians, testified that the lifestyle interventions of weight loss and exercise remain the mainstay in diabetes prevention and cardiovascular risk reduction. She encouraged support for programs that promote these goals in Indian country.

“The role of public health is critical and includes the development of tribal/state/national partnerships, partnered program planning, data collection, and evaluation,” McCabe, a Navajo Nation citizen, said. “All governmental agencies must include American Indian/Alaska Native data sets on diabetes.”

Caitlin Baker, a 16-year-old citizen of the Muscogee Creek Tribe, testified about an outreach program she runs that works with Native American communities spreading the message that diabetes can be prevented through physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices.

“I feel that one major change that needs to be made in the programs is a shift from inevitability to preventability,” the young health advocate told Congress.

“Stress to youth that diabetes is preventable. Inform them how to avoid diabetes and then follow through by giving them the tools needed like access to physical activity and healthier food options. Tell youth and communities what needs to be done to prevent diabetes and then work with them to provide what is needed.

“In my opinion the best way out is to include all members of our communities. Ask and listen to your youth. We are living the crisis of diabetes. We don’t want to live with diabetes. Let us work with you to find a way out of the crisis.”

Ten-time Olympic medalist swimmer Gary Hall Jr. also testified about his battle against Type 1 diabetes and the importance of new research to combat the disease.