In June, we told you about our new partnership with BBK Worldwide, a pioneer in healthcare communications. Now, we’re excited to report that our first outreach project together is kicking off.
In preparation for American Diabetes Month in November, PatientsLikeMe and BBK Worldwide announced today the launch of a new online diabetes health movement entitled “Calling All Types.” This innovative social health initiative encourages people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes to share their real-world experiences and help raise awareness of the disease, which affects 25.8 million children and adults in the US (or 8.3% of the population).
Are you a diabetes patient? Share your thoughts and stories at CallingAllTypes.com. Within seconds, social media outlets including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube will pick up and share your words across the Internet. The goal is to create instantaneous viral awareness that will inform the public, including policy makers and health professionals, about the real toll diabetes takes on individuals and families. (Check out the video below to learn more.)
In addition to rallying supporters at CallingAllTypes.com, the campaign is focusing much of its initial awareness-raising efforts in Atlanta, Georgia, where diabetes prevalence exceeds the national average by a full percentage point. “We are incorporating a “take a community by storm’ approach,” says Bonnie A. Brescia, founding principal of BBK. For each of the first 10,000 visitors to post a comment at CallingAllTypes.com during November, the campaign will donate $1 to the Atlanta chapter of the American Diabetes Association.
So if you’ve got something to say about diabetes, the fastest-growing chronic disease in US history, don’t hold back. Spread the word today at CallingAllTypes.com. Then, if you haven't already, join the diabetes patients at PatientsLikeMe who are coming together to share experiences, find others like them and take control of their health.