Around 1 million people in the state have Type 2 Diabetes — and close to a quarter million more likely have it and don’t know, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Fifteen-year-old Ella Velez’s favorite gymnastics event is vault. The vault is quick, and she doesn’t have to think very much about what she’s doing unlike other, slower events like the balance beam. But for the past couple of years, Velez has had to be focused on regulating her blood sugar every time she performs gymnastics. But a longtime endocrinologist based in Columbus, Dr. Steven Leichter, helped Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown become one of the first medical facilities in the country to administer a new treatment designed to delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders often develop diabetes at lower weights and younger ages than others. Doctors from these communities are pushing for earlier screenings and lifestyle changes.