Call Congress and tell them to fund diabetes research and prevention!

On Wednesday, March 5, it was announced that diabetes cost our country $245 billion dollars last year, up 41% from just five years ago. Diabetes is an epidemic that currently claims nearly 26 million Americans, while another 79 million have prediabetes. This is an epidemic we must stop! That's why over 200 Diabetes Advocates took Capitol Hill by snow storm at the American Diabetes Association's Call to Congress 2013 to tell Congress to Stop Diabetes!

As a valuable member of the Diabetes Advocates community, let your Members of Congress know stopping diabetes is one of your top priorities – and it should be one of theirs, too. Fill out the fields below to call your Members of Congress today.

Making your call is easy – just follow these simple, step-by-step instructions:

STEP 1:

Enter your information here, and we'll call you to connect you to your Senators. Once connected, you will be automatically redirected back to this page:

Or, dial 1-888-661-3208 on your phone to be connected with one of your US Senators' offices. The office you're connected to will identify itself when they answer.

STEP 2:

When a staff person answers, ask to speak to the health aide. Tell the health aide:

• As a constituent and advocate for the American Diabetes Association, you strongly urge your Senator to support and protect funding for diabetes research and prevention programs because it’s important to people with diabetes!
• Funding for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Diabetes Translation, and the National Diabetes Prevention Program is essential to preventing, treating and eventually curing diabetes.
• Cosponsoring the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Act will help secure passage of this important legislation that will help reduce number of Medicare beneficiaries who develop diabetes and rein in healthcare spending.
• Stopping diabetes will save taxpayers millions of dollars that would be spent on treating diabetes complications like blindness, amputations and kidney disease.

Mention if you have a personal connection to diabetes or diabetes programs.

Most calls will end there.

STEP 3:

Following the call with your Senator's office, you will receive a follow up text message prompting you to call your US Representative's office. If using a landline, you can call your Representative directly at 1-877-803-2936. Just repeat the same talking points, replacing use of Senator with Representative.

STEP 4:

Together, we can help ensure funding for the critical diabetes research and prevention programs we need to stop the diabetes epidemic. But Congress needs to hear from more people like you now!

Reach out to your family and friends and ask them to contact Congress today by spreading the word on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you for contacting your Members of Congress!