The FINANCIAL — The American College of Endocrinology (ACE) – the charitable, educational and scientific arm of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) – has joined forces with Lilly Diabetes to share the My Diabetes Emergency Plan with more than 2,000 federal, state and local government officials, meteorologists, and emergency preparedness professionals at the 2015 National Hurricane Conference in Austin, Texas.
ACE and Lilly Diabetes, recognizing the importance of advance planning, created the My Diabetes Emergency Plan to help people with diabetes make a plan to manage their care before emergencies strike. The plan highlights a checklist of essential items needed in an emergency kit in the event of a disaster. Among the items are a 30-day supply of all medications, blood glucose testing supplies, contact information for all healthcare providers, food, water, and a source of fast-acting carbohydrates to treat low blood glucose reactions.
People with chronic diseases such as diabetes are especially vulnerable during disasters when they are displaced from their homes. Medications, food and other vital supplies can be a matter of life and death to these patients, according to Lilly.
The National Hurricane Conference offers ACE an outlet to distribute Spanish and English versions of the emergency checklists and DVD video kits with instructions on how to properly pack an emergency kit.
“Patient education and community outreach are an integral part of ACE’s activities, as evidenced in programs such as the My Diabetes Emergency Plan,” said Dr. R. Mack Harrell, President of AACE. “AACE is pleased to participate in the National Hurricane Conference, knowing that local and state government officials and meteorologists attending this meeting can help deliver these important materials to those patients in need.”
The National Hurricane Conference is held annually to discuss pathways of preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in order to save the lives of those who are put in the path of a hurricane or other natural disasters.
“With record-breaking amounts of precipitation this winter and severe summer storms still in recent memory, the National Hurricane Conference is the perfect place to educate those responsible for at-risk populations about the tools available to help people prepare for emergencies in advance,” said Dr. Jeffrey Jackson, endocrinologist and senior medical adviser, Lilly Diabetes. “Emergencies come in all sizes, but when weather emergencies happen it’s even more important for people with diabetes to be ready. Their health may depend on it.”
Discussion about this post