"A Healthier YOU: Making Diabetes History on Guam"

HAGÅTÑA, Guam, Nov. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- November 14th is World Diabetes Day. This year the day also marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Insulin (which was discovered in animal tests in 1921 and patented for use in humans in 1923). AI Health in partnership with Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, Calvo's SelectCare, Guam Regional Medical City, American Medical Center, and KUAM-TV News will air a multi-media public education campaign to raise awareness of diabetes prevention and care on the island, as well as kick-off the AI Health Guam Diabetes + Technology Validation Study -- "A Healthier You: Making Diabetes History on Guam."

The six-part series will be broadcast daily on KUAM-TV between November 14 -19, 2021, as well as be featured on a new Guam Diabetes Resource web page www.aihealth.ai/diabetes-resources, where the community can easily access relevant resources and information on diabetes and updates on the validation study.

One in six residents on Guam are currently affected by diabetes. The chronic illness is so prevalent on the island that most residents just assume that they will be diagnosed, and that there is nothing they can do to prevent it or treat it over time.

As Governor Leon Guerrero stated in her state of the island address earlier this year, "85 percent of those we lost to COVID-19 and over 70 percent of those hospitalized at GMH had pre-existing conditions that made them especially vulnerable to the effects of this virus. Many also lacked access to basic health care."

She also further reinforced the impact of diabetes on Guam in her recent proclamation of November as Diabetes Month:

• Diabetes is a primary contributor to two of the three leading causes of death in Guam, which are heart disease and stroke;
• Adults diagnosed with diabetes are two to four times more likely than people without diabetes to die of heart disease or experience a stroke;
• Approximately half of the individuals who have died from COVID-19 in Guam had diabetes as a comorbidity;
• The prevalence rate of diabetes in Guam grew from 13.7% in 2018 to 14.7% in 2020

Dr. Erika Alford, Guam's leading endocrinologist at American Medical Center says, "Overall, there is a very fatalistic view of diabetes on Guam. Most families have multiple members with diabetes, and unfortunately it has now become a normal part of life."

"As we recognize, not only Diabetes Awareness Month, but also the 100th anniversary of the lifesaving diabetes drug Insulin, we have the opportunity to collaborate with the Guam community in understanding that today we have more ways to prevent and care for those with diabetes than ever before," said Dr. Juan Espinoza, AI Health Chief Medical Officer. "There may not be a cure for diabetes yet, but there are new ways to treat the chronic illness, and with advances in technologies, like Artificial Intelligence, the future of diabetes care is changing more rapidly than ever."

AI Health in conjunction with their partners Calvo's SelectCare, Guam Regional Medical City, and American Medical Center are looking to not only raise awareness within the Guam Community of diabetes prevention and treatment this month, but also invite the community to engage with new tools and approaches using technology during their validation study. 

AI Health Medical Advisory Board Member and diabetes technology pioneer Dr. David Klonoff said, "Our partnership on Guam looks to create diabetes history by showing what can happen when you enlist AI technology, data from all areas of the health eco-system and a community ready to make diabetes history."

The AI Health public awareness campaign will kick-off on World Diabetes Day, Sunday, November 14, 2021 on KUAM News Weekend Edition and continue throughout the week on KUAM News Primetime and on the KUAM News Multimedia morning show "The Link" (broadcast on KUAM TV11 and 93.9FM and streamed on Facebook Live) daily at 9:00 a.m. ChST (Chamorro Standard Time).

KUAM-TV Daily Viewing Schedule and Permanent Links to Stories on www.aihealth.ai/healthier-you:

Sunday, November 14, 2021World Diabetes Day

The current state of diabetes prevention and care on Guam with Governor Lou Leon Guerrero.

Monday, November 15, 2021The Impact of Diabetes on Guam Calvo's SelectCare's Frank Campillo and Dr. Delores Lee look at the impact of diabetes on Guam and discuss the resources available for prevention and care.

Tuesday, November 16, 2021Diabetes: Prevention + Care Everyday simple actions make a difference in the prevention and care of diabetes.  A panel of local experts discuss the importance of healthier food choices and physical activity, as well as offer simple tips on how to work them into your daily routine.

Wednesday, November 17, 2021Diabetes + Technology Today Dr. Erika Alford and Dr. Juan Espinoza discuss understanding the importance of medication and diabetes monitoring, and what solutions are available today on Guam

Thursday, November 18, 2021Diabetes + Technology + Guam = The Future 100 years after the discovery of Insulin, leading diabetes researchers Dr. Francisco Pasquel and Dr. David Klonoff discuss "Precision Medicine," AI and how technology will reshape diabetes care and prevention in the next century.

Friday, November 19, 2021The week-long series will culminate in a special Diabetes + Technology Guam Town Hall Meeting with an expert panel of local and global medical experts breaking down the basics of diabetes on Guam, the AI Health Validation study and answering the community's questions about the resources available to them today and in the near future.

AI Health specializes in using AI and Internet of Things to provide simple healthcare solutions that work in real world today, in a cost effective, privacy compliant manner, and provide a foundation for the future of Predictive Analytics in Healthcare and Remote Patient Monitoring.  The company is based in San Francisco with an AI Lab in Barcelona, Spain.

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SOURCE AI Health