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This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC – safer, healthier people.

Welcome to this podcast series on diabetes brought to you by the National Diabetes Education Program or NDEP. NDEP is a joint initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

If you are an employer, you may not realize how much your work force is affected by poorly-controlled diabetes.

The number of Americans with diabetes has more than tripled since 1980 from about 6 million to almost 21 million in 2005.

Diabetes hits hard during the working years. Between 1997 and 2004, diabetes increased 45 percent among people ages 18-44.

Poorly-controlled diabetes can affect your business’s bottom line. Each year, the cost of healthcare and the cost of lost productivity from poorly-controlled diabetes rises. In 2002, the total cost was a staggering 132 billion dollars.

Poorly controlled diabetes can contribute to absenteeism and affect productivity on the job, yet diabetes can be controlled.

Employers are in a unique position to address diabetes and protect one of their most important resources - their human resource.

Worksite wellness programs not only educate and support employees with diabetes; ultimately they can contribute to an improved bottom line.

You can help the hardworking men and women who don’t want diabetes to stop them from doing a good job.

Visit the National Diabetes Education Program website at www.DiabetesAtWork.org

DiabetesAtWork.org is a free, easy-to-use resource that can help you estimate the impact poorly-controlled diabetes could have on your business.

DiabetesAtWork.org also offers employers: o More than 35 lesson plans in English and in Spanish for worksite wellness programs and lunch-and-learn sessions o Case studies of successful diabetes workplace programs o Information on diabetes-related health plan benefits and services o A Workshop Planning guide and many other resources

To learn more, please visit DiabetesAtWork.org or call the National Diabetes Education Program at 1-800-438-5383.

To access the most accurate and relevant health information that affects you, your family and your community, please visit www.cdc.gov.