According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), approximately 537 million adults worldwide were living with diabetes in 2021, a number projected to rise to 643 million by 2030.

Diabetes is a chronic health condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels. There are primarily two types:

As a founding member of the Illinois Diabetes Caucus, State Representative Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) celebrated Illinois Diabetes Awareness Day on November 14 by discussing the Healthy Illinois 2021 State Health Improvement Plan and then joining colleagues for a 12,000-step walk through Springfield.

Tryon was joined at a press conference on Monday by House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and IL Department of Public Health Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. Together, they spoke about the startling increase in diabetes diagnoses in the United States. “In Illinois, approximately 800,000 people age 18 and older have been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and it is estimated that another 500,000 people are living with the disease and don’t know it,” said Tryon. “Nationally the statistics are equally troubling, with an estimated 23.6 million people diagnosed with Type I or Type II Diabetes.” Read more.

The Illinois Legislative Diabetes Caucus in coordination with Illinois healthcare providers and businesses are hosting free diabetes screenings throughout the state today, November 14.

Early diabetes detection is cruicial in preventing blindness, kidney failure, heart disease and stroke that can be part of the disease.  Find a location near you.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and for the next 30 days the Illinois Legislative Diabetes Caucus will be featuring on their website stories of real Illinoisans who are living their lives with diabetes.

“It is important to be aware of the warning signs of diabetes and know when to see a healthcare professional,” said House Republican Leader Jim Durkin about the 30 days project. “These stories show that diabetes effects people in all walks of life and that many people with Diabetes have overcome the challenges and have gone on to do great things.”

This year, Illinois joined three other states in establishing a diabetes awareness license plate, a plate which would set aside $25 for the Diabetes Research Check Off Fund.

With the legislation creating the new plate now signed into law, Representatives Tom Cross (R-Oswego), Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) are encouraging Illinoisans to sign up for the new plates.

In order for the plates to to enter production, 1500 must be requested. The Legislative Diabetes Caucus has set November 14, Diabetes Awareness Day, as its goal for reaching that mark.

More information from the Illinois Legislative Diabetes Caucus, including the registration procedure, is available here.

Today, the governor signed Leader Tom Cross' Diabetes Awareness Bill into Law.

Diabetes and Public Health
House Republican measures aimed at improving public diabetes awareness become law.  The bipartisan Illinois Legislative Diabetes Caucus 2013 agenda included two measures to raise funds for diabetes research and direct that the State systematically monitor the growing diagnosis of diabetes among Illinois residents.  HB 1815 (Cross/Hunter) and HB 2199 (Durkin/Muñoz) were signed into law on Thursday, July 18 as P.A. 98-96 and P.A. 98-97.

• HB 1815 creates the Diabetes Awareness special Illinois license plate.  As with most other Illinois special license plates, persons showing a commitment will help to raise money for a cause recognized by the State.  The supplemental fee for original issuance of this plate will be $40, and the fee for annual sticker renewal will be $27.  $25 from each sum will be transferred to the Diabetes Research Checkoff Fund, and will be used to supplement the monies raised from the State income tax checkoff for diabetes treatment and research.
• HB 2199 will create a biennial report to be submitted by the State Diabetes Commission, an independent panel staffed by the State’s Department of Public Health.  The report, which will be submitted every two years starting in January 2015, will list not only the number of Illinois residents with diabetes, but also (a) the number of Illinois family members directly affected by these diagnoses, (b) the financial impact of diabetes upon the Illinois economy and its public-sector budget, and (c) the costs and benefits of anti-diabetes public health and diabetes prevention measures.  The report will also direct the State to look at, and continuously monitor, the level of cooperation between different State and other public-sector programs that are aimed at the treatment of diagnosed diabetes and the slowdown and prevention of existing cases of metabolic syndrome and other pre-diabetic conditions from progressing to a diagnosis of diabetes.