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Insulin is a Right for Incarcerated People with Diabetes

Insulin is a Right for Incarcerated People with Diabetes

It is time to recognize that incarcerated people with diabetes are particularly vulnerable to insulin insecurity. #insulin4all is more than a hashtag: It is a rallying call to everyone impacted by insulin inaccessibility, and a mournful cry for all who have lost their lives while insulin remains clearly in view, but cruelly out of reach. It’s a demand for justice for everyone who needs insulin to survive, including incarcerated people with diabetes. We must find ways to meaningfully include and involve this population in our activism. Read more

World Health Organization Consultation for People Living with Diabetes

World Health Organization Consultation for People Living with Diabetes

The Global Diabetes Compact (GDC) and the Consultation for People Living with Diabetes, gives me hope that there has been a step towards what we as advocates have long been fighting for. We have asked to have our voices truly included and to be treated like experts when it comes to solving global diabetes problems. We hope this is the start of real action and outcomes. Like Dr. Bente shared, it is time to co-create with WHO and move forward by holding their efforts accountable. Read more

Dexcom G6: Available to who?

Dexcom G6: Available to who?

But again, we must ask: who is this available to? This technology requires a prescription, and we know that Black and Brown communities are being offered access at much lower rates than their white peers. I am a Black woman with a family history of type 2 that puts me at greater risk of developing it. Interestingly, despite having several family members with type 2 diabetes, my child with type 1 is the first person that has CGM technology, and that was because I pushed for it. Read more

Honoring Advocate Stewart Tembo (1983 – 2020)

To everyone who knew him, Stewart was not only a friend and colleague, he was a passionate advocate, and a leader who knew exactly what patients living with diabetes needed to survive. He understood why patients should speak out for change. He believed that no person with diabetes should have to worry about the accessibility or affordability of insulin in their lifetime. Read more

Advocates in Canada Fight for Free Access for Insulin’s 100th Anniversary

Advocates in Canada Fight for Free Access for Insulin’s 100th Anniversary

Canada is the home of insulin. It was invented here and even features on our $100 bill. And yet, 100 years later, there is no Canada-wide coverage for insulin. Our Chapter's current campaign is called #freeinsulin100. Our goal is to ensure the passage of federal legislation implementing a national pharmacare program by the end of 2021, which would include all Provinces and Territories providing insulin free of charge for all people who require it by the end of 2021. Currently Canada stands alone as the only country in the world with a national public healthcare system that does not also cover required prescription medication.
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Creativity and Activism: Another World is Possible

Creativity and Activism: Another World is Possible

Here are five reasons - showcasing #insuiln4all and other social change movements around the world - why joining art, creativity and activism together is so powerful. It fosters self-expression, community building, activation, it is inspiring and attention grabbing, and it leads activists to better engage with the media. Read more

There Is No Insulin in Iran

There Is No Insulin in Iran

Shortages of insulin are not something new in Iran, but recently there is no insulin at all. We were shocked by responses from our politicians who said, "The shortage is just for pens and we have plenty of internal production of insulin. People can replace it." However, the types of insulin that are produced in Iran are NPH and R. Few consumers in Iran use NPH. About 70 percent of Iranian people with diabetes use insulin pens. Read more

Representing Latin America’s Insulin Access Needs at the World Health Organization Workshop

Representing Latin America’s Insulin Access Needs at the World Health Organization Workshop

I felt empowered that the voices of those of us living with type 1 diabetes were respectfully listened and taken into account by the WHO. As noted: Patients have power. Being able to represent my country made those words feel real, and it had tremendous value for me. Read more

People with Type 1 Diabetes Take Action After the Explosion in Beirut

People with Type 1 Diabetes Take Action After the Explosion in Beirut

“My first thoughts when it happened was that an earthquake had hit, because the earth shook so hard that I could literally feel tectonic plates shifting. The first thing I did was grab my insulin supplies and run down the stairs.” Read more

Fighting for LGBTQ+ Justice and #insulin4all

Fighting for LGBTQ+ Justice and #insulin4all

Delaying care due to these fears as a queer or trans person is not uncommon in any medical setting, however if you delay care living with diabetes, it can lead to life-threatening complications or even worse. It’s imperative that LGBTQ+ people living with diabetes and other chronic illnesses have the security, affirmation and resources to access the care they need. Read more