• ROSEBUD, S.D. (AP) -- Connie Brushbreaker was a 12-Coke-a-day drinker when she was diagnosed with diabetes after the birth of a child. Now, she's helping lead an effort on the Rosebud Indian Reservation to change the mindset of Native Americans here so they no longer view the disease as an inevitable part of life.
• Brushbreaker started a diabetes education program 15 years ago that soon will include a new wellness center, a mobile unit to travel around the nearly 2,000-square-mile reservation and a plan to certify diabetes educators who are American Indian. The $5 million investment came from Denmark-based Novo Nordisk Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of insulin, which planned to unveil the program at a Friday ceremony in Rosebud.
• "I think we're going to be able to do wonders -- to get the word out there. And if we help only a handful of people, that will save in the budget but also could save some lives," said Brushbreaker.
• American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes among U.S. racial and ethnic groups, according to the American Diabetes Association. And they are 2.2 times more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have the disease, according to the Indian Health Service. From 1994 to 2004, there was a 68 percent increase in diabetes among native youth ages 15-19 years. And an estimated 30 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives have pre-diabetes, the diabetes association said.
• Loss of eyesight and amputations are common results of the disease on the reservation, and dozens of patients require kidney dialysis, Brushbreaker said.
• "Native Americans can tolerate a higher blood sugar level. They get used to it," said Rita Brokenleg, a registered nurse for Rosebud's program.
• "Our challenge is to help people understand why this is important," she said.
• Access to affordable, nutritious food is also a problem because most people live in poverty and the choices for non-processed foods are few.
• "As natives, our bodies weren't made to process the starches. Back in the old days, we were active. We had to hunt for our food," Brushbreaker said.
• She said a lack of funding, space and staff has limited what she can do, and tribal members have asked for help.
• The new wellness center, which is still under construction, will offer the types of fitness classes and education that are accessible in much of the rest of the country.

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