Governor signs Diabetes Awareness Proclamation

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Thursday afternoon, the Commonwealth made a huge step forward to recognize diabetes.

Governor Andy Beshear joined State Representative Patti Minter at the Warren County Health department. Together, they signed a proclamation declaring Diabetes Awareness Month in Kentucky. 

Minter said, “Only with awareness, can that bring visibility to the need to make sure that everyone has access to the life saving insulin that they need.”

Beshear said the cost of insulin is nowhere near as low as it should be. However, he’s happy with the awareness and cost progress they are making, especially with Representative Minter’s proposed bill that would help lower insulin costs. 

“The basics [medicine or affording necessities], we should be at a point where people don’t struggle and have to decide between them,” said Beshear.

State Representative Patti Minter’s son, Alex Minter, who lives with Type 1 diabetes spoke about the struggles diabetics face when it comes to getting their medicine. 

He himself has even experienced close times where he was down to his last amounts of insulin.

“I was on my last vial with maybe a week’s worth of insulin left, and we did not know whether I was gonna make it. So, there were some times when there was close calls,” said Alex Minter. 

Representative Patti Minter said she hopes that Thursdays events help push her bipartisan emergency low cost insulin bill proposal forward.