WASHINGTON, March 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- This week,
Diabetes Advocates from around the country gathered in D.C. for the
American Diabetes Association's Call to Congress, an annual
gathering on Capitol Hill to educate members of Congress about the
impacts of diabetes and advocate for key federal priorities. After
a day of preparation and hearing from expert speakers, advocates
went to the Hill to meet with members of Congress to lobby for
legislative priorities like affordable and accessible insulin,
funding for research and prevention, and diabetes self-management
training (DSMT).
"Our efforts to address diabetes in the U.S. have typically
focused on supporting community programs that promote fitness,
nutrition and overall healthy living," said Tracy Hamill, M.D., medical director of Sun Life
Financial U.S. "Now we have the opportunity to continue our efforts
from a policy perspective, and I'm looking forward to continuing
our work with the ADA's Call to Congress initiative to achieve
legislative action for the diabetes community."
While access to affordable insulin has been a major focus,
advocates also explained how Congressional support for
research and programs can improve the quality of life for people
living with diabetes.
"We are really fortunate to have the support of an incredible
community of advocates who are so dedicated to ADA's mission and
the power of advocacy through Call to Congress," said Tracey D. Brown, CEO of the American Diabetes
Association. "With support from Sun Life, a company that has shown
continued commitment to bending the curve on diabetes, we have been
able to amplify our message to an even wider audience and empower
our Diabetes Advocates to urge Congress to support our legislative
goals."
Today, advocates departed with reinforced commitment to make
diabetes a priority going forward, and received helpful guidance on
continuing their advocacy efforts back home.
Sun Life U.S. is the exclusive supporter of ADA's 2019 Call to
Congress and supports many causes and organizations that focus on
diabetes prevention and awareness, including the YMCA Diabetes
Prevention Program and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund. Sun
Life also awards grants to community organizations around the
country who support programs for diabetes management, prevention,
education and awareness through the Sun Life Team Up Against
Diabetes grant program.
To learn more about ADA's advocacy efforts and to become a
Diabetes Advocate, visit www.diabetes.org/advocacy.
To learn more about Sun Life's commitment to diabetes, visit
www.sunlife.com/usdiabetes.
About Sun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial is a
leading international financial services organization providing a
diverse range of insurance, wealth and asset management solutions
to individuals and corporate Clients. Sun Life Financial has
operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United
States, the United Kingdom,
Ireland, Hong Kong, the
Philippines, Japan,
Indonesia, India, China,
Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of December
31, 2018, Sun Life Financial had total assets under
management of C$951 billion. For more
information, please visit www.sunlife.com.
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New
York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the
ticker symbol SLF.
In the United States, Sun Life
Financial is one of the largest group benefits providers, serving
more than 60,000 employers in small, medium and large workplaces
across the country. Sun Life's broad portfolio of insurance
products and services in the U.S. includes disability, absence
management, life, dental, vision, voluntary and medical stop-loss.
Sun Life employs approximately 6,000 people in its U.S insurance
and asset management businesses. Group Insurance policies are
issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley
Hills, Mass.) and Sun Life and Health Insurance Company
(U.S.) (Lansing, Mich.). For more
information, please visit www.sunlife.com/us.
About the American Diabetes Association
Approximately
every 21 seconds, someone in the United
States is diagnosed with diabetes. Nearly half of the
American adult population has diabetes or prediabetes, and more
than 30 million adults and children are living with the disease.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading
voluntary health organization on a mission to prevent and cure
diabetes, as well as improve the lives of all people affected by
the disease. For nearly 80 years, the ADA has driven discovery by
funding research to treat, manage and prevent all types of
diabetes, while working relentlessly for a cure. Magnifying the
urgency of this epidemic, the ADA works to safeguard policies and
programs that protect people with the illness, those at risk of
developing diabetes and the health care professionals who serve
them by initiating programs, advocacy and education efforts that
can lead to improved health outcomes and quality of life. To learn
more or to get involved, call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or
visit us at diabetes.org. Information is available in English and
Spanish. Join the conversation with us on Facebook (American
Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram
(@AmDiabetesAssn).
Media contacts:
Devon Fernald
Sun Life Financial
781-800-3609
Devon.Portney.Fernald@sunlife.com
Sabrena Pringle
American Diabetes Association
703- 549-1500 ext. 1637
press@diabetes.org
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SOURCE Sun Life Financial