June 23, 2020
Your stories make all the difference.
The COVID-19 pandemic we’ve all been living through presents both a problem and an opportunity in terms of JDRF’s advocacy efforts.
As quarantine restrictions are lifted and we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the stark reality we’re facing is that all levels of government have had to expend vast sums of public money on unbudgeted COVID-19 relief efforts. In the post-pandemic world, securing public funding for diabetes technologies is sure to be an uphill battle.
At the same time, these governments are increasingly seeing the value of virtual care models to help deliver health care at a distance.
The crisis has also demonstrated the important role that remote monitoring technologies such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and flash glucose monitoring (FGM) can play in reducing physical contact between frontline health care workers and their patients.
Working together, we can still achieve public funding for these technologies, making them affordable and accessible for all and helping reduce the out-of-pocket costs for Canadians living with T1D.
Please email your provincial or territorial representative today in support of JDRF’s #AccessForAll campaign.
When submitting your email it’s important to personalize your message by explaining how public coverage for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and/or flash glucose monitoring (FGM) would be life-changing for those living with type 1 diabetes. This will ensure you are sending an impactful message to decisionmakers.
Before approving public spending, elected officials want to know about the difference that spending will make in the lives of their constituents. Your personal story will make all the difference. It’s the impact the technology will make on your life that will move them to action.
Personalizing your letter is easy. Here are a few examples of Advocate emails sent this June:
“Our daughter was diagnosed at age 4 1/2 in January of 2018…[S]he suffered a severe hypoglycemic event where she was losing consciousness and ended up in the hospital. We got a CGM days after this happened and have had much better results… [CGM] allows us to keep her in range longer and have a better A1C. This will prevent long term health complications and is more cost effective than hospital visits and complications from T1D.~Susan Sinclair, Vancouver, BC”
***
“Our daughter has had type 1 diabetes for 10 years and her continuous glucose monitor has been life changing. It helps keep her safe – she doesn’t always feel her low blood sugars and used to have problems during the night. The continuous glucose monitor allows our family to get much needed rest during the night with the comfort of knowing she is safe. ~Michele Patton, Misssissauga, ON”
***
“This device allows my daughter the independence she deserves, while keeping her safe. Something as simple as going to bed for the night, isn’t simple with diabetes. A CGM with it’s alarms is a game changer! ~Ann-Marie Hulse, Newmarket, ON”
***
“I’ve been a type 1 diabetic for 27 years, always struggling with low blood sugars with no symptoms… Five years ago I seized, again, and I knew if I wanted to live I needed to get a CGM… I have had perfect blood sugar… [and] two healthy, uncomplicated pregnancies with the help of the CGM… CGM and FGM is not just life changing, its life saving. It needs to be covered! ~Jennifer Dyck, Winkler, MB”
***
“Myself and two of our three children live with Type 1 diabetes. Having the Dexcom cgm for all of us helps me to sleep at night knowing that I’ll be woken up if any of us go low. It makes a super stressful life a little bit easier! ~Robyn Devine, Blackfalds, AB”
Help us continue to advocate for the T1D community
|
