SKN Foundation to address diabetes epidemic at annual gala in New Jersey

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The Shri Krishna Nidhi Foundation (SKN) will host their annual Gala for Diabetes Care at the Marigold Hotel in Somerset, New Jersey on Friday, September 28.

This year the SKN Foundation will be highlighting the South Asian Diabetes Education and Resource Center and have invited celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, Indian actress and fashion designer Mandira Bedi and IndyCar series driver with type 1 diabetes Charlie Kimball as their special guests.

The SKN Foundation is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to promote total wellness of the person and community through education.

In alignment with its mission, the organization has partnered with Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, who operates the South Asian Diabetes Education and Resource Center which is a comprehensive prevention program with academic, clinical and community support.

The program is relevant to all South Asian people as the prevalence of Diabetes has mounted to 80 million people where one out of two do not know they have it.

According to a press release, Saint Peter’s Thyroid and Diabetes Center is now enhanced by SKN resources and offers early screening with a focus on prevention, comprehensive consultation and management, specialized care for women, diabetes self-management education, nutritional guidance specific to South Asian diet and South Asian support groups.

“South Asians residing in the US have the highest burden of diabetes with the prevalence reaching up to 25% in this population, the highest of any ethnic group in USA. More than half are undiagnosed. A silent killer, diabetes leads to premature disability and death with more than half of the deaths in South Asians occurring before age 60. At the Saint Peter’s South Asian Institute we meet the unique health challenges faced by the South Asian people. Our holistic approach is based on respect for the patient’s cultural background, spiritual needs and healthcare values,” Dr. Meena Murthy, the center’s director and a key advisor for SKN Foundation, is quoted saying, in a press release.

As part of this partnership with Saint Peter’s, SKN Foundation develops awareness and outreach programs on various chronic illnesses, beginning with a diabetes risk assessment in the South Asian community; facilitates access to early detection, self-management and care programs at the South Asian Institute at Saint Peter’s as well as directing and coordinating research on chronic disease at the South Asian Institute, creating South Asian specific educational materials.