Activating Patients to Spark Dialogue and Take Action

A cornerstone of Type 2 diabetes management is getting blood sugar under control, yet about one-third of the nearly 30 million Americans living with diabetes are not at their A1C (average blood sugar over two to three months) goal. Though achieving the recommended A1C goal can help reduce the risk of serious complications of diabetes, many patients are not aware of the urgency of getting to goal, and how this directly correlates with their risk of developing complications. GCI Health launched a multi-year, multi-faceted program, America’s Diabetes Challenge, to urge patients to pledge to work with their HCP to set and reach their A1C goal. Through a large-scale national launch with country superstar Tim McGraw, and partnerships with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and iHeartMedia, we extended the program’s reach to amplify our messages to patients, caregivers and HCPs. Two additional program arms targeted at-risk African-American and Hispanic people through grassroots efforts with local ADA chapters and dynamic spokespeople with connections to diabetes. Results over three years were staggering: 400+ national/local interviews with three spokespeople, nearly 200K program website visits driving 3.4K patients to take a pledge to know their A1C and 1.4K+ to share stories, 1B+ social media followers reached, more than 46K+ likes on Facebook and 400K materials distributed through local events and pharmacies.