County Update
With Santa Clara County
Supervisor Mike Wasserman
Supervisor Mike Wasserman was elected to the Santa Clara
County Board of Supervisors in November, 2010, and re-elected
in 2014. He represents District 1, which includes Gilroy, San
Martin, Morgan Hill, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and portions
of San Jose (supervisorwasserman.org).
Together We Can Prevent Diabetes
D
iabetes is a serious condition that can cause health
issues such as heart disease, stroke, blindness,
kidney failure, and even lead to the loss of toes,
feet or legs. According to a recent study by the Santa Clara
County Health Department, 7% of Morgan Hill residents
and 8% of Gilroy residents have been diagnosed with
Diabetes—slightly less than the national average of 9% and
County average of 8%. “Together We Can Prevent Diabetes”
is a locally-developed campaign designed to raise awareness
among Santa Clara County residents that preventing
diabetes is possible and is “in our hands” through healthy
choices like eating more fruits and vegetables and engaging
in moderate physical activity.
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which blood glucose
(sugar) levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat and
It is estimated that 9 out of 10 American Adults with
prediabetes do not know they have it! This is serious
because without weight loss and moderate exercise, as
many as a third of people with prediabetes are likely to
develop type 2 Diabetes within five years. With inter-
vention, people with prediabetes can reduce their blood
sugar levels and Diabetes can be prevented.
Here are some tips from the Santa Clara County Health
Department to help prevent Diabetes:
beverages we drink are turned into sugar for our bodies to
use for energy. The pancreas is an organ that makes insulin
(a hormone) to process the sugar to provide energy for the
cells in the body. When you have diabetes, your body does
not make enough insulin or cannot use insulin as well as
it should, causing sugar to build up in the blood. Type 2
diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
• Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains,
and lean proteins.
• Try to get 30 minutes of physical activity
fi ve days per week.
• Choose water over sugary drinks.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Lower your stress level.
• Don’t smoke or use tobacco products.
• Maintain healthy blood pressure.
• Maintain healthy cholesterol level.
• Join a Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)
december 2018-january 2019
gmhtoday.com