Local Impact - Oregon

Taylor David, Klamath

Klamath Diabetes Prevention Program Cow Creek Consortium

"I truly believe this program can dramatically improve the health of the Klamath Tribes and bring us...Mo ben dic hoslntamblek! (Good Health in the Klamath language)"
- Taylor David

As both a Klamath Tribal Member and tribal employee, it has been my extreme pleasure to both watch and participate in the Klamath Tribes Diabetes Prevention Program. I first became interested in joining when I saw how the program was helping my family members. Over the past year, as a participant of the Klamath Diabetes Prevention Program, I have come to view it as both a life-saver and life-extender not only for myself, but also for my fellow tribal members. With the support of my Lifestyle Coach, I’ve lost 38 pounds and my blood sugars no longer fall in the pre-diabetic range. The weight loss has really helped me with my Indian dancing. I’m a jingle dancer and not only can I dance without pain in my ankles and knees, I can perform longer. It is power for me.

The program and my Lifestyle Coach have always gone above and beyond the call to make sure I had everything I needed to be successful improving my overall health. Beyond diabetes prevention, this program has given me the motivation to push myself and once-again believe in myself. In the past three months I’ve conquered my fear of both heights and speed and ran my first 5k this past weekend in Portland with over 5,000 other participants and also learned how to snowboard! I would have never had the courage or been in the shape necessary to accomplish these things had it not been for the Diabetes Prevention Program. It is imperative that these types of programs are firmly in place to lead us to the next level of good health.

Diabetes in Oregon

According to 2008 CDC data, approximately 199,000 people in Oregon – 6.5% of the state’s population – had diagnosed diabetes, and many suffer from serious diabetes related complications and conditions. In addition to the human toll diabetes places on the people in Oregon, the financial burden diabetes places on the health system in the state is staggering – in 2007, the direct and indirect cost of diabetes in Oregon was approximately $2.18 billion.