Mission
Mutual Aid Diabetes (MAD) is a mutual aid network created by and for the diabetes community in response to the insulin crisis in the United States. Our mission is to ensure every member of our community has access to insulin, resources, and current legislation. Our work ranges from assisting with financial barriers, assistance with navigating patient assistance programs, advocating for effective insulin access legislation, and offering relevant and up-to-date news and resources. Our resources and information are available to everyone within the diabetes community regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, disability, racial, ethnic, or socio-economic background and we support all types of diabetes and insulin dependency. Although the insulin crisis is prevalent in the United States, MAD strives to support the global diabetes community and to serve as a point of connection for people with diabetes around the world. We are and always will be 100% community-funded and will never accept pharmaceutical or insulin manufacturer funding. We will always actively work against the monetization of the diabetic community that constantly puts profits over patients. Our commitment to the diabetes community allows MAD to be a reliable and unbiased source of resources, information, and support for the diabetes community.
Our Goals
1. Short term: Access to insulin.
- MAD works to ensure that people who use insulin in the United States always have access to it. Whether that means working out an emergency refill, assisting with an unexpected copay, or helping with patient assistance programs, MAD is here to help.
2. Mid-term: Holding big pharma accountable.
- Everybody needs insulin to live, people with diabetes just don’t make it themselves, so access to insulin is a human right. The insulin crisis in America is a man-made, intentional violation of human rights and MAD intends to continually hold the insulin manufacturers and the pharmaceutical industry responsible for what they’ve done to our community.
3. Long term: Eliminating insulin insecurity.
- Managing diabetes is more than just insulin access, it can be a lifelong condition for a number of types of diabetes. The American healthcare system is not currently structured to support the people who actually need to use it. By working with legislators and healthcare professionals, MAD strives to create a future where people with diabetes don’t need a mutual aid network because they have adequate access to insulin and diabetes supplies.