BRET MICHAELS | SB 138
ABOUT SB 138
Senator Richard D. Roth (D-Riverside) introduced legislation in the California State Senate to expand the diabetes education in schools to include Type 1 diabetes. This bill would require the governing board of a school district and the governing body of a charter school to work with their schools that maintain any of kindergarten or grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to identify the most appropriate methods of informing parents and guardians of pupils of type 1 diabetes and to implement the identified methods by January 1, 2021. By imposing additional requirements on school districts and charter schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
To read the full text of the bill, please visit SB 138 on the legislature page.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE.
Reach out to your representatives in the California State Senate and ask them to support SB 138. Education is the key to saving lives of those with Type 1 Diabetes.
A letter of support can be found at www.diabetespac.org
ABOUT BRET MICHAELS
Bret Michaels is a multi-platinum global superstar who uses his international success as a platform for advocacy.
The 58-year-old singer was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at six years old. At the point of his diagnosis, Michaels was going into ketoacidosis – his body was effectively shutting down.
Type 1 Diabetes develops when a person’s own immune system attacks insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. In some cases the immune attack usually begins several years before Type 1 Diabetes symptoms even appear. Failure to diagnose and begin treatments can lead to onset of Diabetic Ketoacidosis, which can result in a person going into a coma and then death. For others, over time, long term health complications can lead to heart disease, nerve damage, kidney damage and stroke.
Type 1 Diabetes affects over 1.25 million Americans. According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), by the year 2050 the number of youth diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in the U.S. will quadruple.
It is estimated that the economic costs of Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes increased by 26 percent from 2012 to 2017 to nearly $327 billion. Medical costs alone totaled $237 billion. The cost of Type 1 Diabetes is projected to grow exponentially with the rising cost for insulin, which is “protected from generic competitors under patent law.”
Michaels has helped raise tens-of-millions of dollars through his Life Rocks Foundation to donate to diabetes awareness and research through the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and JDRF. He has collaborated with both the ADA and JDRF acting as a spokesperson and sponsor, earning him numerous awards from a variety of organizations.
Michaels is the first person to receive the ADA’s prestigious Chair’s Citation. The Award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of individuals, corporations, institutions or organizations who have demonstrated significant dedication and commitment in their local market and have had a positive impact in advancing the mission of the ADA.
Michaels also raised hundreds-of-thousands of dollars for the ADA and has helped to put a face to diabetes; raising critical awareness about the seriousness of diabetes and the importance of diabetes prevention and management. Michaels achieved this during his time on the NBC hit, Celebrity Apprentice.
Please visit these websites to help support Bret Michaels' Foundation:
www.LIFEROCKSFOUNDATION.org
www.BRETMICHAELS.com/SB138
and use this hashtag on Twitter:
#KnowSurviveThrive
