Dancing To Defeat Diabetes: Kansas City Doctor Aims To Reduce Disease’s Toll

Most Tuesday mornings, the Palestine Senior Activity Center in Kansas City is a pretty quiet place. But recently, high schoolers, community workers and seniors crowded the parking lot. Lots of curious neighbors peeked from porches and through the gates to see what the buzz was about.

Health experts say that around one in 8 people has diabetes and about 40 percent are at risk for it. UMKC Med School endocrinologist Betty Drees says community programs like the flash mob can do a lot to reduce the condition’s toll.

Drees, a former dean of the UMKC School of Medicine, is a founder of the Kansas City Diabetes Collaborative, which started this year with funding help from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City and the Victor E. Speas Foundation. The group is reaching out to community programs to make sure they have the most up-to-date scientific information about the disease and how to prevent and treat it. Read more …


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