News Extra
12
ISSUE 12 | March 2022
SPECIAL REPORT: OUR PROBLEM WITH DIABETES
Fast food debate rages
“
JADE HOBMAN OES Greater Blacktown have a problem with diabetes? Looks like it, according to a swath of research done on our very own doorstep. Research conducted at Blacktown Hospital in 2019 unveiled the difficult truth that the health and wellbeing of the City of Blacktown was inching ever closer to one in eight people being under serious threat. 100,000 diabetes blood tests were administered, as part of a Western Sydney Diabetes (WSD) research initiative, on people passing through the Blacktown Hospital emergency department in 2019, which produced evidence of significant high blood sugar levels in much of the community. Dr Tien-Ming Hng at the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Blacktown Hospital said at the time that 48 per cent of people tested either had diabetes, or pre-diabetes issues. “Of the 100,000 tests conducted, 30.5 percent, or 30,533 tests, revealed a result consistent with pre-diabetes, and 17.4 per cent, or 17,435 tests, revealed a result consistent with diabetes (type 1 or type 2),” Dr Hng told The Pulse in 2019.
D
What is diabetes? Diabetes Australia says the weighty and complex condition can affect the entire body, which can lead to some dire
A lot of people always talk about healthy living and that’s why I put the pressure onto Council to say, your policies say we are unhealthy, but why are you using your own land to put a KFC on, instead of a healthy food option.” – Steve Bali. consequences. It has three different types, type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes–the fastest growing kind of diabetes in the nation, affecting thousands of pregnant women. When someone has it, their body can’t maintain healthy levels of glucose in the blood, which can cause a range of complications. In a recent WSD year-in-review report, it said diabetes has gone from being a relatively uncommon disease in the early 1990s, to an issue that 1 in 10 Australians face, driven much by an increase in type 2 diabetes.
They said the increased disease and death burden have been seen in heart attacks, heart failure, strokes, kidney failure, foot amputations, liver disease and blindness. Heloise Tolar from WSD talked plainly about the prevalence of the disease in Western Sydney, with the highest incidences centred in on Mt Druitt. “In a nutshell, Western Sydney is a diabetes hotspot with disease rates higher than the NSW average,” Ms Tolar told the Greater Blacktown News. “If this 'hotspot' is not addressed, within a decade it will
cause an unsustainable economic and societal burden on the state's healthcare system.” State Labor MP for Blacktown Stephen Bali said diabetes can often go undiagnosed and can cause havoc when it is not attended to in a timely manner. “The problem with diabetes is that it just kind of sneaks up on you,” Mr Bali told the Blacktown News. “Your eyesight slowly fails, or some of the symptoms of diabetes is bad circulation, so the challenge is there.” Continued on page 13
WHERE TO GET THE NEWS ISSUE 8 | NOVEMBER 2021
TRUSTED LOCAL NEWS
WWW.GREATERBLACKT OWNNEWS.COM.AU
%ඔ ඉඋඓගඟ1
Grab a copy of the Blacktown News at any of these popular distribution outlets
Blacktown Mayor Tony Bleasdale with NSW Labor leader Chris and with staff at Blackktown Workers Club.
BOUNCING BACK Free event ope n to business
N
SW Labor leader, Chris Minns visited Blacktown Workers Club last week to express his support for the Blacktown businesses community. The leader’s visit comes as Blacktown Workers Club gears a special event on November up for 16 called Blacktown Bouncing Back (BBB)). BBB is a collaborative project inform and educate teams created to Blacktown about adaption,in and around protection and redefining success as we progress from lockdown. “We need Western Sydney to bounce back as it is the heartbeat of New South Wales and the third economic zone in Australia,” largest Mr Minns said." MORE PAGE 3.
Blacktown beauty shines:
SCAN QR code for details
Blacktown City blacktow n.nsw.gov.au
Blacktown
Snapshot
Blacktown Council
Fox Hills Golf Club
Stanhope Leisure Centre
Blacktown Council Libaries
Lillys Function Centre
Blacktown Workers Club
Riverstone Newsagent
Blacktown Chamber events
Prospect Hotel
Blacktown FC
Stanhope Gardens Library
Blacktown Sports Club Blacktown Travelodge The Australian Hotel Vineyard Motel
Toongabbie Bowling Sports Club Wests Tradies
16
Nine years of Council what's been acheived: 23
Seven Hills Plaza Lalor Park Library Riverstone Library
$
403,000
18.81 billion
population
regional economy
ISSUE 6 | SEPTEMBER 2021
Blacktown RSL
THIS E EDITIO DITION N
4.6% average economic growth
26,141
TRUSTED LOCAL NEWS
143,259
registered businesses
local jobs
WWW.GREATERBLACKT OWNNEWS.COM.AU
%ඔ ඉඋඓගඟN
THIS EDITION
WESTPOINT backs domestic violence fight: 3 Mayor calls for local vaxx clinic: 6
Blacktown doctor Jana
Pittman competes in SAS
TV.
SAS JANA
Sub-branch answers calls for support: 10
B
LACKTOWN Hospital’s famous Olympian Dr Jana Pittman for a grueling survival challenge has swapped her stethoscope in the latest series of ‘SAS’ Jana’s roller coaster ride TV on the Seven Network. of triumph, defeat, failure and makes her ideal for the rigorous format of the show. success throughout her life one of the 18 celebrities The 38-year-old dual Olympian who will be subjected to is extreme physical and psychologica on the upcoming military-styl l testing e show. More page 5.
Why Blacktown is tops for property investment: 14
Blacktown City blacktow n.nsw.gov.au
Blacktown
Snapshot
$
395,000
18.81 billion
population
regional economy
4.6% average economic growth
24,990 registered businesses
143,259 local jobs
Never miss out. Get the digital edition 24/7 at www.greaterblacktownnews.com.au
1
