American College of Endocrinology (ACE) focuses on emergency planning for people with diabetes at National Hurricane Conference

Organization to share tips from partnership with Lilly Diabetes to help people avoid disruptions in medical care during severe weather emergencies

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Eli Lilly and Company

Apr 14, 2014, 09:00 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

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@TheAACE attends Hurricane Conference to share planning tips for people w/ #diabetes; prgm w/Lilly Diabetes offering emergency tips since '05
@TheAACE, in partnership with Lilly Diabetes, offers emergency planning tips for people with #diabetes at www.empoweryourhealth.org

For the second consecutive year, the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) will meet this week with federal, state, and local emergency preparedness officials at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando to highlight resources available to help people with diabetes manage their care during weather emergencies. ACE will emphasize the importance of advance planning and distribute educational materials, created through its partnership with Lilly Diabetes, to help people who may be at risk when faced with a severe storm or other unexpected emergency.

"After hearing about the Lilly/ACE emergency preparedness program, our practice began routinely distributing checklists to patients to help them prepare for any situation," said Dr. Sharon Selinger, endocrinologist and board member of the New Jersey chapter of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. "And because of that work, we were relieved that when (Hurricane) Sandy hit, there were no last-minute calls for supplies."

Seeing the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, Lilly Diabetes and ACE joined forces in 2005 to create the "My Diabetes Emergency Plan" program, a comprehensive checklist–with supporting video resources–for those with diabetes to use to prepare for and manage their health during an emergency. Since then, ACE reports more than 12.5 million checklists have been distributed throughout the United States.

"Informing emergency managers, as well as national and local weather forecasters, about these resources is an essential element in our efforts to help reach people with diabetes who need to know how to prepare for emergencies," said Dr. Lawrence Blonde, endocrinologist and member of the American College of Endocrinology. "Since weather emergencies are often unpredictable, it is critical for people with diabetes and other chronic medical conditions to be prepared in advance."

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 2014 hurricane season may be an El Nino year, a weather phenomenon caused by weaker trade winds. While an El Nino may decrease the total number of named storms, the potential for severe weather could still impact thousands.¹ Recent history offers a clear warning of the need for preparation, as seen with 2012's super storm Sandy and one of the deadliest tornado seasons on record in 2011.

"The National Hurricane Conference is the perfect opportunity to inform those on the front lines about how they can help people with diabetes prepare in advance of a severe situation," said Dr. Jeffrey Jackson, endocrinologist and senior medical adviser, Lilly Diabetes. "It only takes a few minutes to put together an emergency kit that could help people with diabetes avoid potentially life-threatening disruptions in their care."

About the American College of Endocrinology (ACE)
The American College of Endocrinology (ACE) is the educational and scientific arm of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). ACE is the leader in advancing the care and prevention of endocrine and metabolic disorders by: Providing professional education and reliable public health information; Recognizing excellence in education, research and service; Promoting clinical research and Defining the future of Clinical Endocrinology. For more information, please visit www.aace.com.

About Lilly Diabetes
Lilly has been a global leader in diabetes care since 1923, when we introduced the world's first commercial insulin. Today we work to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes through research and collaboration, a broad and growing product portfolio and a continued commitment to providing real solutions—from medicines to support programs and more—to make lives better. For more information, visit www.lillydiabetes.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY)
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and http://newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels.

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¹ The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/news/el-nino-enso-warming-ocean-pacific-drought-hurricane-20140306. Accessed March 27, 2014.