New Web-Tool For Diabetes Touted As Great Resource For Advocacy And Policy

Main Category: Diabetes
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 29 Mar 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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An innovative, online tool -- the Diabetes Atlas (D-ATLAS) -- was unveiled today at a briefing on Capitol Hill. The D-ATLAS is a collaborative effort among the National Minority Health Month Foundation (NMHMF); Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; and Eli Lilly and Company. The D-ATLAS graphically maps type 2 diabetes prevalence by race/ethnicity, age, or gender in the United States, in individual states, and in congressional and state legislative districts.

The D-ATLAS was praised by advocacy groups and state and national elected officials as visionary and valuable. Leading health organizations and individuals engaged in providing diabetes research, education, and advocacy participated in a meeting on Capitol Hill demonstrating the utility of the D-ATLAS.

"The D-ATLAS is an important new, evidence-based tool in the effort to eliminate diabetes disparities and equip national and state stakeholders who are concerned about minority health," said Gary Puckrein, PhD, president and CEO of the NMHMF. "I am thrilled about this collaboration with Amylin and Lilly. Their commitment to supporting efforts to address diabetes-related health disparities is to be commended."

This unique, online resource arms health advocates and policy makers with the capability to articulate the scope of the type 2 diabetes problem during educational, advocacy, and public affairs initiatives -- essentially pinpointing health disparity zones in which diabetes rates are highest.

"The D-ATLAS tool will help Members of Congress, healthcare professionals, state legislators and community leaders more thoroughly understand what is happening in every zip code and across gender and ethnic lines throughout the country. This is going to be a very valuable tool in reversing the trend of diabetes in this country" -- Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE), Co-Chair of Congressional Diabetes Caucus.

Today's unveiling of the D-ATLAS is just the beginning of a new era for health care. NMHMF will embrace opportunities to collaborate with organizations in providing additional data that enhances their ability to further stratify diabetes disparities.

"Health and community advocates, as well as policy makers, who are struggling to get a clear picture of the diabetes epidemic in their communities will find the D-ATLAS extremely useful," said Elena V. Rios, MD, MSPH, Latino Diabetes Action Council of the American Diabetes Association. "This tool has great potential in advancing important issues for people with diabetes."

About the National Minority Health Month Foundation:

Founded as a nonprofit organization in 1998, the National Minority Health Month Foundation was established to strengthen national and local efforts to eliminate the disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness in racial and ethnic minorities and other special populations through the use of evidence-based, data-driven initiatives. The Foundation has developed a comprehensive relational data platform for identifying the prevalence of health-status and health-care disparities at the ZIP code level. This centralized data warehouse allows the Foundation to house vital statistics; demographic, environmental, claims, prescription-drug, and clinical-laboratory values; health-care access points, and other data. The Foundation is thus able to measure and forecast health status in small geographic areas, evaluate the impact of specific interventions, monitor changes in health outcomes, and serve as a valuable resource for the health-disparities movement.

About Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.:

Amylin Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company committed to improving lives through the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative medicines. Amylin has developed and gained approval for two first-in-class medicines for diabetes. Amylin's research and development activities leverage the company's expertise in metabolism to develop potential therapies to treat diabetes and obesity. Amylin is located in San Diego, California with over 1,500 employees nationwide. For more information about Amylin and the company's diabetes products, visit http://www.amylin.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company:

Through a long-standing commitment to diabetes care, Lilly provides patients with breakthrough treatments that enable them to live longer, healthier and fuller lives. Since 1923, Lilly has been the industry leader in pioneering therapies to help health care professionals improve the lives of people with diabetes, and research continues on innovative medicines to address the unmet needs of patients. For more information about Lilly's current diabetes products visit http://www.lillydiabetes.com.

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs -- additional information about Lilly is available at http://www.lilly.com.

National Minority Health Month Foundation
National Minority Health Month Foundation