Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Fall 2017 - 1

FALL 2017

DiabetesPro
QUARTERLY
A M E R I C A N D I A B E T ES A S S O C I AT I O N
N E W S FO R P R O F ES S I O N A L M E M B E R S

After the Storm: Working Together to Support
People with Diabetes
When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in August, the American Diabetes Association
sprang into action to ensure that people with diabetes in affected areas had access to the
life-saving medications and supplies they needed in the aftermath of the storm that left
Houston and much of the Gulf Coast region devastated.
William T. Cefalu, MD, the Association's Chief Scientific, Medical & Mission Officer,
reached out to his colleagues at JDRF and Insulin for Life USA to suggest working
collaboratively to assist those desperately in need of diabetes supplies. Dr. Cefalu, who
was on the ground treating patients in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina in 2005,
knew first-hand the critical need for medications and testing supplies to maintain proper
glucose levels under such dire conditions.

IN THIS ISSUE
New Consensus Report on
Language in Diabetes Care

Insulin Affordability

78th Scientific Sessions News

Core Research Program
Funding Opportunities

The three organizations began working
together immediately to ship diabetes
supplies to southeast Texas and to activate
volunteers and staff in the area to provide
on-site information and troubleshooting to ensure that support and supplies
arrived where they were most needed.
Professional members of the Association
and JDRF also assisted with transporting
supplies.

Thousands of pounds of diabetes supplies were
shipped to Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico to
support people affected by Hurricanes Harvey,
Irma, and Maria.

Within days, news of this effort spread, and additional partners joined the collaborative,
which came to be known as the Diabetes Emergency Relief Coalition (DERC). In addition to the Association, JDRF, and Insulin for Life USA, DERC includes the Endocrine
Society, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American
Association of Diabetes Educators, Research! America, and the T1D Exchange.
The collaborative continued to assist those affected by Hurricane Harvey and later
expanded its work to support Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the
wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Thousands of pounds of free diabetes supplies,
including insulin, syringes, pen needles, alcohol pads, blood glucose meters, glucose test
strips, and lancets, were shipped to Texas and Florida, and to Puerto Rico in advance of
Hurricane Maria. The coalition also participated in efforts to engage private deliveries
to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, given extensive shipping and transportation
problems in the region.
The core component of the DERC coalition was providing information, support, and
access to resources through two call centers and online at the Association's website
(diabetes.org). The ADA Call Center, 1-800-DIABETES, responded to hundreds of calls
for help, and staff, volunteers, and coalition partners reached out to program participants, camp families, and donors to ensure that affected communities had access to the
continued on page 2

PROFESSIONAL.DIABETES.ORG

http://www.diabetes.org http://PROFESSIONAL.DIABETES.ORG

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Fall 2017