Reporting

For people living with HIV or AIDS, nutrition is a key component of any treatment plan. With a weakened immune system, it is vital that they maintain optimum health by way of exercise and following the basics set forth in widely-accepted dietary guidelines. But living in neighborhoods where healthy food options are few and far between, with an outsize presence of fast-food outlets, can make it difficult to eat healthy.

<p>By most measures, Native Americans' health problems exceed the average, and it's even worse for urban Indians who can't tap social and health services available on distant reservations. The problem's not new, but some of the solutions are.</p>

<div class="node-body"><div class="node-body"><div class="node-body"><div class="node-body"><div class="node-body"><div class="node-body"><p>West Virginia is among the top five on just about every national chronic disease list. The state leads the nation in diabetes and obesity, according to the Gal

Elizabeth Varin wrote this story for The Imperial Valley Press as a 2011-12 California Endowment Health Journalism Fellow.

<p>One in six of Logan County's 36,700 residents is a diabetic, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and there are many more who don't know they have it.</p>

Elizabeth Varin wrote this story for the Imperial Valley Press as a 2011-12 California Endowment Health Journalism Fellow.

<p>Think about this: More than 200,000 West Virginians have contracted a disease that kills people. About 69,000 of them don't know they have it.</p>

<p>Glenda has no insurance. She makes $350 every two weeks. If she were diabetic, she could get insulin free through the clinic if she needed it, but not the diabetic finger sticks and testing strips, which cost about $45. "I can't afford to get diabetes," she said.</p>