Holcomb, Summers join forces to raise diabetes awareness

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb joined State Rep. Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis) in a ceremony this week to draw attention to legislation authored by Summers that is designed to reduce the impact of diabetes in Indiana.

House Enrolled Act 1175, which officially became law on July 1, is designed to coordinate the state’s response to diabetes and encourage Hoosiers to pursue healthier options that can help them avoid getting the disease. The legislation has been a personal passion for Summers, who suffers from diabetes.

“Raising awareness of this preventable disease is very important, because we are facing an epidemic of diabetes and pre-diabetes in Indiana,” Summers said. “This legislation can help us find opportunities for diabetes and pre-diabetes screening, and it can help us identify what actions need to be taken to encourage people to live healthier lives.”

The law establishes work groups that will help raise public awareness, identify barriers in the effective prevention of the disease, create better methods of screening, and estimate the costs attributed to diabetes and pre-diabetes.

(Below please find a photo of this week’s ceremonial bill signing. In the front row are, left to right, State Rep. Cindy Kirchhofer (R-Beech Grove), Gov. Eric Holcomb, and State Rep. Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis). Standing is Tony Gillespie with the Indiana Minority Health Coalition.)