Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Fall 2017 - 6

ADVOCACY NEWS

Insulin Affordability
Safe at School Tips and
Information Are Available
for Pediatric Diabetes
Providers

The average price of insulin has skyrocketed in recent years-nearly tripling between
2002 and 2013. Insulin isn't optional. For millions of people living with diabetes,
including all individuals living with type 1 diabetes, access to insulin is a matter
of life and death. There is no medicine that can be substituted for insulin.
This month marks the 1-year anniversary of the American Diabetes Association's
Make Insulin Affordable campaign. On November 17, 2016, the Association's Board of
Directors issued a resolution calling on all entities in the insulin supply chain, including
manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers, insurers, and pharmacies, to
substantially increase transparency in pricing associated with the delivery of insulin to
individuals with diabetes. Transparency in this process is the first step to identifying
viable long-term solutions for individuals with diabetes who are unable to afford the
insulin they need. The resolution also calls on all entities in the insulin supply chain
to ensure that no person with diabetes is denied affordable access to insulin.
As the organization whose mission is to improve the lives of all people affected by
diabetes, the Association believes that no individual in need of lifesaving insulin should
ever go without it due to prohibitive costs. To address this issue, the Association has
convened an Insulin Access and Affordability Working Group. This group is holding
meetings with multiple stakeholders at all levels of the insulin supply chain and with
people affected by the rising cost of insulin. The group is also working with Congress in
an active effort to understand the underlying causes of the dramatic increase in insulin
prices. The major objective of the working group is to bring about long-term solutions
to ensure that insulin is affordable for all who need it.

The American Diabetes Association's
Safe at School initiative has comprehensive resources for both patients
and professionals to ensure that kids
with diabetes get the care they need.
The Diabetes Trainer toolkit includes
a curriculum, pre- and post-tests,
emergency care plans, and other
resources to teach school and childcare
staff about diabetes management. The
School/Child Care Diabetes Checklist
helps providers identify patients who
are facing discrimination in the school
setting. View these resources at
diabetes.org/safeatschooltraining,
and share them with your parents and
guardians of pediatric patients.

Since the Make Insulin Affordable campaign was launched last year, more than 257,000
individuals have signed the Association's petition calling for transparency in insulin
pricing and action to ensure that insulin is available to the people who rely on this lifesaving medication. The Association will continue to work toward the goal of affordable
insulin for all who need it. Please visit makeinsulinaffordable.org for more information
on these efforts.

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

New Association Member Benefit: Women's Interprofessional Network
Enrollment into the Women's
Interprofessional Network of the
American Diabetes Association (WIN
ADA) is now open. WIN ADA is the
Association's new members-only group
for female physicians, scientists, educators, and other health professionals in the
diabetes field.
Chaired by Jane E. B. Reusch, MD,
the Association's incoming President,
Medicine & Science and a Professor of
Medicine at the University of Colorado

at Denver, and Darleen Sandoval,
PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery at
the University of Michigan School of
Medicine in Ann Arbor, WIN ADA aims
to strengthen the presence of women in
diabetes research and clinical practice, as
well as recognize the notable contributions of women to improving the lives of
people affected by the disease. The group
will provide networking and career development opportunities to help women
overcome gender-based barriers asso-

ciated with professional advancement,
as well as increase research on women's
health and diabetes and on sex as a biological variable in diabetes. Future group
initiatives will include, but are not limited
to, an annual event at Scientific Sessions,
a quarterly e-newsletter, and online
resources and communication tools.
Learn more and join this new network
by visiting professional.diabetes.org/
winada.

https://www.makeinsulinaffordable.org/ https://www.makeinsulinaffordable.org/resolution/ http://www.diabetes.org/safeatschooltraining https://www.makeinsulinaffordable.org/petition/ http://www.makeinsulinaffordable.org http://professional.diabetes.org/winada http://professional.diabetes.org/winada

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