November 9, 2021 – Abbott (Abbott Park, IL) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) announced the launch of their first joint community health partnership. The community initiative, which is the first program under the ADA’s Health Equity Now platform, will launch in Columbus, Ohio, and be conducted in partnership with the National Center for Urban Solutions (NCUS) (Columbus, OH), an organization focused on providing solutions in workforce development, education and wellness.
The program seeks to better understand and address healthcare disparities for people of color living with diabetes, while fostering accessibility of diabetes care technology within the community.
As part of the program, NCUS will provide up to 150 Black adults living with diabetes in the Columbus community with health education and access to Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring technology.
Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre technology was built with access and affordability in mind to make it broadly available to all people with diabetes. This aligns to Abbott’s 2030 Sustainability Plan, which has a clear focus on innovating for access and affordability with the goal of improving the lives of one in every three people on the planet every year by 2030.
“Diabetes is one of the most pressing health issues of our time, particularly for people of color,” said Charles Henderson, chief advocacy officer of the American Diabetes Association. “Our Health Equity Now platform serves to tear down the healthcare barriers for historically underserved communities. The program in Columbus will gather real-time data that will help us understand the challenges preventing healthcare equity and uncover solutions to minimize disparities.”