Yesterday, in the Australian Parliament Diabetes Research Report After 18 months and countless submissions, interviews, and meetings with diabetes stakeholders across the country, the report 23 Recommendations The aim was to improve the lives of Australians living with diabetes. Among those of us who advocate for greater access to automated insulin delivery systems (AIDs), there was much discussion and celebration, particularly around the recommendation to increase funding for insulin pumps, which would increase the number of people using AIDs. In his report, the commission's chair, Mike Freelander, expressed strong support for the initiative. preface.
It's been incredible to see the seeds of community advocacy planted in Florence back in March blossom so beautifully. Joining a dedicated group of people who have worked tirelessly, all volunteering their time to develop a single-issue advocacy campaign, is a great example of community commitment. From the start, our goal was clear: to ensure equitable access to AID for Australians with type 1 diabetes, with a particular focus on solving a component of AID that has not been funded to date: insulin pumps. At the heart of this work is the voice of people with lived experience. An investigation has been launchedThe community debate raged, The summit was held and Run A consensus statement is expected to be released soon to support the next steps in lobbying to turn the study's recommendations into policy decisions. for Type 1 diabetes community, and Type 1 diabetes community and by T1D community. Focused and customized.
Many of the report's recommendations focus on type 2 diabetes (T2D), and people with T2D should receive an equally focused and individualized response. This is not about dividing outreach efforts between different types of diabetes; it's about targeted, effective efforts that highlight and address the unique challenges people with T2D face. There is no doubt that T2D has unique considerations; they should be given the attention and expertise they deserve, not treated as an afterthought to T1D efforts.
And it needs to be community led. I know how hard it is to find the right representatives and advocates for type 2 diabetes. When you look at the #dedoc°voices scholarship program, the number of people with type 1 diabetes far outnumbers the number of people with type 2 diabetes. When you look at other community groups and initiatives, you see that people with type 1 diabetes are over-represented. But there are already great advocates for type 2 diabetes. I met some great advocates when I was in the DEEP network. teeth There will be a type 2 diabetes community out there, and there will be people who are not only there, but who are driving that community with their passion and their expertise. They may not congregate in, use, or be as visible as the type 1 diabetes community, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. We would all be remiss if we said we couldn’t find people who speak out and participate in the type 2 diabetes community. We expected them to be in the same place as people with type 1 diabetes. Look further. Look closer. Look closer. Remember the words of Chelsea Rice: “Don't just put the pie in the middle of the table. Get the pie to where they are.” Get the pie where they are.
This is an opportunity to move the discussion around T2D away from personal responsibility, which has been the primary focus of public campaigns to date. The stigma and blame these campaigns generate are often harmful, and one of the consequences of that stigma is that members of the community are reluctant to come forward. I mean, do you want to be a spokesperson for T2D advocacy when the message is that it's your fault that you got T2D in the first place? Definitely not.
This is an opportunity for real, meaningful systemic change that addresses failures in health care access, education, and prevention. Addressing the marketing of junk food to children, sugar taxes, and finding ways to make healthier choices as easy as unhealthy choices are all important steps. We also need to address food insecurity, socioeconomic disparities, and providing access to better health care. All of these measures address root causes at scale, rather than blaming individuals and saying it's their fault.
We can do hard things, but it will take collective effort and strong leadership.
And in that moment, let’s remember where to look for the innovation and support that drove change: the community. Access to continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), insulin pumps, and other advancements all started in the community and were picked up and implemented by other stakeholders to make things happen.
People with type 2 diabetes deserve the same level of help and support, and now seems like the perfect time to do just that. And as a person with type 1 diabetes, I'm here to support and receive guidance from my fellow type 2 diabetes patients.