Spanish radio show to address diabetes

The Ventura County Health Care Agency will recognize November as National Diabetes Month with a special half-hour Spanish radio show, "Keeping Our County Healthy: Diabetes Update."

The show will air on Radio Lazer, 102.9-FM, Sun., Nov. 19 at 7 a.m., and again on Le Major, 96.7FM, at 9 a.m. for Jessica Calvario's dialogue with both doctors. She will ask questions from the community regarding this health issue. The program will repeat Sun., Nov. 26.

The program features two local primary care physicians: Dr. Miguel Cervantes, medical director of the Las Islas Family Medi

cal Clinic in Oxnard, and DrStanley Patterson, medical director of the Magnolia Family Medical Clinic in Oxnard.

The program will educate the public on the risks associated with the disease and the steps that can be taken to minimize them.

Patterson will discuss tracking blood sugar levels and whether or not it's possible to have diabetes "just a little bit."

"Someone is diagnosed with diabetes every 21 seconds in this country," said Cervantes, who emigrated to Ventura at age 5 with his family from MichoacanMexico. "Over 20 million children and adults in the U.S. have diabetes, the fifth deadliest disease in the country, which has no cure."