The Diabetes Foundation, Inc., established on August 17, 1990, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the needs of the diabetic community in the New Jersey/New York Metropolitan area. Through the efforts of volunteers, the Diabetes Foundation, Inc. focuses its efforts on providing public and professional education, diabetic children's camp scholarships, and indigent assistance with diabetic medications and supplies in an effort to improve the quality of life for people with diabetes.

The Diabetes Foundation, Inc. offers programs and services to a population affected by the serious health problem of diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease that impairs the body's ability to produce or properly use insulin, a hormone essential for life. Diabetes and its complications are the third leading cause of death by disease in the United States.

Facts:

..... The number of Americans with diabetes increased by 15 percent in two years to 24 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 8 percent of the population now has the disease, mainly Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity and sedentary living, the agency said in a report using data from 2007.

..... A quarter of people ages 60 and older had diabetes, the agency said. The number of people worldwide with diabetes will double to 366 million by 2030, according to the World Health Organization, which calls the disease an epidemic. (Article courtesy of Bloomberg News, June 25, 2008.)

..... The estimated economic cost of diabetes in 2007 was $174 billion. Of this amount, $116 billion was due to direct medical costs and $58 billion due to indirect costs such as lost workdays, restricted activity, and disability due to diabetes. People with diagnosed diabetes incur average expenditures of $11,744 per year, of which $6,649 is attributed to diabetes. People with diagnosed diabetes, on average, have medical expenditures that are approximately 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes. (Statistics courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 25, 2008.)

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