U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, will be meeting with Alabamians with diabetes in Tuscaloosa Tuesday to discuss insulin affordability and ways to prevent diabetes and make its management more affordable.
Her office said she hopes to hear “directly” from constituents on the issue.
Alabama has the highest percentage of adults with diabetes in the nation, making the disease one of the most costly and detrimental illnesses in the state, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the prevalence of the disease is high, the price to treat is even higher and getting worse.
From 2002 to 2013, the price of insulin tripled, according to USA Today, making the treatment of diabetes even more costly.
Sewell’s office said she will discuss the steps Congress is taking to make preventive care more accessible and affordable to all Americans, make diabetes management more affordable and increase funding for diabetes research.
The congresswoman will also meet with constituents at a town hall in Tuscaloosa County Tuesday.
Whatley Health Services of Tuscaloosa will provide town hall attendees with free diabetes screenings and educational materials about the disease.
A diabetes screening can help identify the disease in its earliest stages, giving patients the opportunity to potentially change the course of the disease.
Schedule:
Rep. Sewell to meet with Alabamians with diabetes
Where: McDonald Hughes Community Center, 3101 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
When: 9 a.m.
Rep. Sewell to host a Tuscaloosa County town hall
Where: McDonald Hughes Community Center, 3101 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
When: 11 a.m.
