Local Impact - Utah

Reggie Martinez, Navajo/Southern Ute

Uintah & Ouray IHS Clinic - Healthy Heart Project

"It’s a good feeling to know that by staying on this healthy path, I may soon be able to control my diabetes without medication."
- Reggie Martinez

I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2001. When I first joined the Healthy Heart Program I weighed over 300 pounds and my A1c (average blood sugar test) was a very dangerous 12.4. I started going to classes, learning about getting healthy, and setting goals and slowly I began to get motivated to take better care of my health.

Before I went to these classes I ate a lot of processed and fried foods, didn’t pay attention to portion sizes and didn’t exercise. Now, all that and more has changed.

While in the program, I lost 70 pounds, my A1c dramatically decreased from 12.4 to 6.2, the metformin medication I was taking to control my diabetes was decreased from 1000 mg daily to 250mg daily, and I went from being a Healthy Heart participant to the Healthy Heart gym operator. I’m happy I made the decision to join the program.

It’s a good feeling to be able to set goals, achieve them and help others do the same. People now come up to me and ask me questions or for suggestions with their fitness and food plans. We may sit down and just talk or I may go to the gym with them. Either way, sharing what I’ve learned from my experiences in the Diabetes Prevention Program helps me stay fit and healthy.

Diabetes in Utah

According to 2008 CDC data, approximately 107,000 people in Utah – 6.8% of the state’s population – had diagnosed diabetes, and many suffer from serious diabetes related complications or conditions. In addition to the human toll diabetes places on people in Utah, the financial burden diabetes places on the health system is staggering – in 2007, the direct and indirect cost of diabetes in Utah was approximately $927 million.

Stories & Progams