Huntington Park : Raising Awareness About Hidden Dangers of Diabetes

Blurred vision, excessive thirst, numb fingers.

More than 450,000 Latinos in Los Angeles County suffer from these and other symptoms of diabetes, according to American Diabetes Assn. statistics, but half of those afflicted are unaware that they have the disease.

The Mexican American Health and Educational Services Center is conducting free weekly workshops for Southeast residents to help raise awareness about diabetes, a potentially deadly disease that affects one in seven Latinos, a rate three times higher than in the general population.

The workshops, in Spanish and English each Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the center, 2502 Clarendon Ave., offer information, referrals and support to diabetes patients and their families, said Maria M. Vargas, executive director of the nonprofit center. Although diabetes clinics and workshops are available in the area, they are not held regularly and few are conducted in Spanish.

For medical referrals, call the American Diabetes Assn. at (213) 381-3639. For information on awareness workshops in Huntington Park, call (213) 583-8421.