Starr County Health Studies Office Celebrates 25th Anniversary
with Health Fair, Open House
HOUSTON – (Feb. 14, 2006) – Starr County Health Studies will offer free screening for diabetes, high blood pressure and glaucoma from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at 400 N. Garza in Rio Grande City, part of a celebration of the office’s 25 years of operation in Starr County.
An open house also is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24. Starr County Health Studies is a field office of The Human Genetics Center at The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, which studies the burden and causes of chronic disease among Mexican-Americans, with an emphasis on adult-onset diabetes.
“We want to express our gratitude for the tremendous support of our research by the residents and leaders of Starr County,” said Professor of Epidemiology Craig Hanis, Ph.D. Confidential participation in scientific studies by Starr County residents has led to greater understanding of the factors that raise a person’s risk for adult-onset diabetes, also known as type 2 diabetes, which in turn raises risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and limb loss.
In a landmark project, Hanis and his research collaborators discovered the first susceptibility gene for type 2 diabetes. The largest study of diabetic retinopathy – the leading cause of adult blindness in the United States – among Mexican-Americans is under way. Research with the University of Texas at Austin has shown how targeted community education and support programs can help diabetics control their disease.
“None of these studies would have been possible without the cooperation of Starr County residents,” Hanis said. “Our sustained and committed drive to uncover the elusive mechanisms of diabetes and other chronic conditions will lead to new methods that lessen the burden of disease on individuals, families, and the community.”
Since Starr County Health Studies opened in February 1981, the office has provided some 21,000 physical examinations, and 80,000 glucose screenings free of charge. The office is a referral center for the Texas Commission for the Blind, enabling it to refer people for initial treatment of diabetic retinopathy. It has long worked with local health-care providers to refer residents who have discovered they have diabetes or other conditions through the office’s screening programs.
For further information contact Starr County Health Studies at 956-487-5266.
Media Contact: Scott Merville
Media Hotline: 713.500.3030