Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a complex chronic disease that requires consistent access to insulin, syringes, and blood glucose monitors. This can be a challenge anywhere, and one that is particularly acute across many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where health systems often lack the resources for comprehensive diabetes care. T1D can be a death sentence for those who cannot afford insulin, while others may not receive proper care until they develop life-threatening complications, such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Children are at particular risk.
Helmsley recognizes that barriers to care are deeply entrenched. Our goal is to create a sustainable, global movement that improves policies, supply chains, and health systems for the most vulnerable T1D populations in LMICs, where – as elsewhere – type 2 diabetes is far more common.
Internationally, new cases are skyrocketing. From 2009 to 2019, the number of people worldwide diagnosed with diabetes, type 1 and type 2, increased 62 percent, to 463 million, according to Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. By 2045, the number is projected to be 629 million.
This surge is felt most acutely in LMICs, which often lack the clinics, diagnostic tools, medical specialists, educators, distribution networks, and government support to give people with T1D an opportunity for success. In some countries, T1D carries a stigma – mothers are blamed for their child’s condition and are spurned by their community, while the children themselves become pariahs. Meanwhile, the increase in type 2 cases will lead to greater need for wide distribution and availability of insulin.
First, health systems need to be stronger so that they can care for anyone with a chronic illness, including T1D. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least half of the world’s population still lacks access to essential health services for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), so we work with partners addressing this need. This includes expanding PEN-Plus (the Package of Essential NCD Interventions-Plus), an integrated delivery model that provides high-quality care for T1D and other severe chronic NCDs in low-resource countries. We anticipate that more than 20 countries will be part of a network committed to expanded treatment for T1D and other severe chronic diseases, and four of these countries will implement PEN-Plus nationwide.
We are also galvanizing a global movement, through partnerships with groups like the NCD Alliance, to advocate for the needs of the growing number of people living with chronic conditions in LMICs.
Second, we want to improve access to insulin, which is unaffordable for most people living in LMICs. We work on two timelines – addressing the medium-term need of changing multinational pricing and supply chain practices, while also ensuring that children who need insulin today can get it. We have supported Health Action International, a nonprofit, to develop partnerships with the WHO and to support civil society organizations in Peru, Mali, and Tanzania to advocate for better insulin pricing and diabetes policies globally. We also support efforts to distribute insulin and supplies across poor communities in more than 40 countries.
Third, we recognize that health care is but one part of what is needed to be healthy. Food security is essential. In impoverished communities, our approach to supporting the T1D community is holistic, supporting efforts for sustainable livelihoods and economic development.
June 25, 2024
December 8, 2023
October 25, 2023
July 20, 2023
July 18, 2023
April 18, 2023
August 19, 2024
For the millions of people uprooted by crisis or conflict, finding adequate health care can be nearly impossible. Displaced populations often face already overwhelmed health systems — and the strain on resources makes it harder for people to access necessary care. This is especially dangerous for people living with chronic noncommunicable diseases like type 1 diabetes (T1D), who face immediate…
December 18, 2023
Recognizing the critical need for access to quality diabetes care in humanitarian settings, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust today announces a $2.6 million grant to the International Alliance for Diabetes Action (IADA) to address diabetes within the context of rising global displacement.
September 23, 2023
NEW YORK, September 21, 2023 — The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust today announced a US$3 million grant to support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and protect children around the world from polio. Polio is a devastating, life-threatening, yet vaccine-preventable disease. In 1988, over 1,000 children were paralyzed by the poliovirus across 125 countries every single…
June 28, 2023
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust today announced a US$9 million grant to the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa to expand care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in sub-Saharan Africa.
September 13, 2022
This year, while gathered at the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa (AFRO RC 72), WHO AFRO Member States adopted NCDI Poverty Network’s PEN-Plus initiative draft resolution. WHO/AFRO’s adoption of PEN-Plus as the regional strategy for addressing severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like type 1 diabetes at first-level care facilities represents a paradigm shift in the regional…
November 18, 2021
Seattle, WA and New York, NY, November 19, 2021 – A century after the life-changing discovery of insulin, millions of people living with…