AZ Health Connections

New Study: Rates of Diabetes on the Rise

As I’ve worked my way through the email and RSS feeds that have piled up this week, one in particular caught my eye – Projecting the Future Diabetes Population Size and Related Costs for the U.S.  I went on to read the following:

A new study out of the University of Chicago published in the December issue of Diabetes Care reports that the number of Americans with diabetes will nearly double in the next 25 years and spending on the disease will nearly triple if things remain as they are right now. “…we will have massive increases in diabetes incidence in this country over the next two decades,” says researcher Elbert S. Huang, MD of the University of Chicago.

In light of our post on diabetes, I wanted to share this data.

All the best,
Earl

AstraZeneca Contributes to Global Rescue Effort for Haiti (updated)

AstraZeneca is contributing to the global rescue effort in the wake of Haiti’s devastating earthquake. We have donated antibiotic and respiratory medicines through US charity AmeriCares and made an initial donation of £100,000 (approx. $163,000) to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal.

AstraZeneca has now donated an additional $340,000 to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal and committed an additional $500,000 to support a longer-term disaster recovery program that will give the people of Haiti help to re-build their lives and communities.

AstraZeneca US and the American Red Cross have created an online AstraZeneca Haiti Relief donation web site to receive emergency relief and recovery effort contributions from employees.

Decompressing After The Holidays: Helpful Resources

The start of a new year is a time of excitement celebration and joy for many people.  It is also a time of stress associated with holiday shopping, decorating and event planning from the weeks before – or even grief and loneliness.

However, while nearly everyone is dealing with some added stress after the holidays, people with mental illness may be especially vulnerable and  have difficulty accessing resources and services that could help them.

At AstraZeneca, we understand how important support can be for patients, as well as their families. That is why we support programs designed to help people living with mental illness as well as their caregivers. It is through partnerships with non-profit organizations that AstraZeneca can continue to contribute to programs that are designed to help ensure the supportive mental health services that patients need are available and accessible to them.

• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (www.dbsalliance.org ) is a leading patient-directed national organization focusing on mental illnesses.
   
  
• Families for Depression Awareness (www.familyaware.org ) helps families recognize and cope with depressive disorders to get people well and prevent suicides.


• Mental Health America (www.nmha.org ) is dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives..


• National Alliance on Mental Illness (www.nami.org) supports public efforts focused on educating America about mental illness, offering resources to those in need, and insisting that mental illness become a high national priority.


• National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (www.thenationalcouncil.org ) serves more than 6 million adults and children with mental illnesses and addiction disorders..


• The Jed Foundation (www.jedfoundation.org ) is the leading nonprofit organization working to reduce the rate of suicide and the prevalence of emotional distress among college students..

At www.FacingBipolar.com, you can learn more about bipolar depression and download useful tools like a mood diary and medication tracker.

All of these programs are important resources but the most important resource is your healthcare professional who can discuss the most appropriate care for your individual needs.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy new year.