The statistics are staggering: more than 29 million Americans have diabetes, and 1 in 3 people with diabetes don’t even know they have it.
One person is diagnosed with diabetes every 23 seconds, and one patient dies from diabetes and its consequences every 6 seconds.
As Dr. Desmond Schatz, co-medical director for the University of Florida Diabetes Institute stated in his American Diabetes Association presidential address, “Diabetes is like a wildfire, raging through this country and across the globe, but is anybody really paying attention?”
At the UF Diabetes Institute, we’re paying attention. Hundreds of researchers, patient care providers, staff and students are all working together – urgently – for the vision of seeing a diabetes-free world.
November is American Diabetes Month. This year, we’re launching our first #Bluevember campaign, aimed to generate awareness for diabetes, as well as share tangible ways that we can all get involved to work together to see a diabetes-free world.
What is #Bluevember?
Bluevember is a month-long campaign led by the University of Florida Diabetes Institute that includes education and awareness activities, as well as community glucose screenings and our 29 Days of Action blog. You can learn more about #Bluevember at http://diabetes.ufl.edu/bluevember.
What is the 29 Days of Action blog?
This is it! Today is November 1, and for the next 29 days, we’ll be sharing ways big and small that you can get involved. You can sign up to receive our 29 Days of Action posts each day here. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and check back to our website for new content each day through the end of this month.
Help us turn November into #Bluevember. Stay tuned each day to learn how to work with us, together, to see a diabetes-free world.