On March 11, congressional staffers and other interested stakeholders gathered for a Capitol Hill briefing examining the “State of Diabetes.” Children with Diabetes hosted this briefing and speakers included Tracey D. Brown, CEO of the American Diabetes Association, Gary Puckrein, PhD, CEO and President of the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), and Christel Marchand Aprigliano, MS, CEO of the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC). AADE Advocacy Chair Kathy Gold, CDE, MSN, RN participated in the briefing as a member of an advocacy panel that helped address questions from the briefing attendees. Ken Moritsugu, MD, MPH, FACPM, RADM, USPHS (Ret), Chairman of Children with Diabetes served as the Master of Ceremonies.
The speakers and panel members discussed the economic impact of diabetes and the importance of supporting initiatives like the Special Diabetes Program. Speakers talked about the existing challenges surrounding accessibility, safety, and quality of diabetes care. Additional calls to action included asking members of Congress to join the Congressional Diabetes Caucus and to cosponsor the Expanding Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) Act.
AADE has been active on the Hill in the past few weeks. On March 6, AADE joined the Diabetes Advocacy Alliance in hosting a reception for current and prospective members of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus. We are working to build our list of supporters in Congress, and these events allow us to bring attention to these important issues and connect directly with legislators and their staff.
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