Mar 5, 2008 9:59 am US/Mountain
Coalition Pushes To Fight Chronic Disease In Colo.
DENVER (AP/CBS4) ―
A group of Colorado business, labor and health care leaders have launched a campaign to make the fight against chronic disease a major issue in the 2008 elections.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona, Colorado first lady Jeannie Ritter, Denver Bronco Daniel Graham and former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb are part of the bipartisan group that launched the Colorado Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease this week.
"Diseases such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, these are all chronic diseases that are preventable if we're smart and make lifestyle choices," said Rob Cohen of the Metro Denver Sports Commission.
The group was at the Capitol on Tuesday and in Grand Junction on Wednesday to ask lawmakers to make the cause a campaign issue.
The group said chronic disease cost Colorado $3.4 billion in treatment costs in 2003. Colorado's role as a battleground state in the presidential election and host state for the Democratic National Convention led the national Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease to pick the state for the campaign.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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