Kids smile with fresh vegetables provided by Sansum during the COVID-19 pandemic. It distributed 1,470 servings in one month alone.
Sansum Diabetes Research Institute commemorated National Hispanic Heritage Month in a news release Thursday. The Hispanic community is important to SDRI, as members participate in diabetes research.
“This Hispanic Heritage Month, Sansum Diabetes Research Institute is at the forefront of research and innovation to address the horrendous and disproportionate burden of the COVID-19-diabetes syndemic on Hispanic/Latino families,” SDRI’s Director of Research and Innovation Dr. David Kerr said.
Systemic inequities and underlying medical conditions affect the Hispanic population’s risk for severe diabetes symptoms. But SDRI seeks to eliminate the disparities through research of the community.
SDRI launched Mil Familias, an initiative dedicated to learning more about the cause of type two diabetes in this population. Hispanic/Latino community scientists will study families with at least one diagnosed member.
SDRI created the COVID-19 Diabetes Emergency Response at the beginning of the pandemic to assist those at risk of more COVID-19 complications.
Between March 16 and April 20, researchers made contact through call or text with 622 Mil Familias participants. SDRI asked about mental and physical wellbeing and were sometimes met with tearful responses.
To provide a bilingual resource, it also created a website to provide up-to-date COVID-19 information for those with diabetes: latinodiabetes.sansum.org/covid-19-latino-diabetes/.
Between March 16 and April 17, SDRI gave 1,470 servings of fresh produce to those with or at risk of type two diabetes.
To learn more about diabetes in the Hispanic population, visit latinodiabetes.sansum.org. And to get involved, go to milfamilias.sansum.org.
— Annelise Hanshaw
