NEWSFLASH: Helmsley Charitable Trust Awards $150K to Diabetes Social Media Player

My buddy Manny Hernandez and his team at the non-profit Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF) — publishers of the social media health networks Tudiabetes.org and EsTuDiabetes.org — have scored again! In a very big way!

They’ve just announced being awarded a $150,000 grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the same organization that is funding a new national registry for type 1 diabetes.

From the press release:

The Helmsley Charitable Trust is dedicated to supporting research and programs that improve the life of those living with diabetes. “We applaud the work of Diabetes Hands Foundation, which provides patient resources for millions of people living with diabetes around the world,” says Dana Ball, program director of the Helmsley Type 1 Diabetes Program.

Diabetes Hands Foundation’s social media networks, with communities nearing 40,000 registered users, include TuDiabetes.org in English and Estudiabetes.org in Spanish. Diabetes awareness campaigns led by DHF have reached viral proportions, such as the Big Blue Test. For those unfamiliar, this is a huge online “glucose test-in” held each year on World Diabetes Day, Nov. 14.

“The Helmsley gift ignites opportunity for our current and new programs serving people touched by diabetes,” says Manny Hernandez, president and founder of Diabetes Hands Foundation.

Other cool campaigns from Manny and the DHF:

* TuAnalyze – developed together with Children’s Hospital Boston – a progressive online application allowing users to track, share and compare their A1C data collaboratively online. According to sources, “Early data from the CDC-funded TuAnalyze project has shown improved health metrics in individuals sharing health information in this secure environment.”

* Healthseeker – an interactive, Facebook-based game developed with Joslin Diabetes Center and pharma sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim that uses social networking features to educate about healthy eating and diabetes management, and encourages players to take actions to improve their lifestyle choices.

* Express Your Diabetes – an “umbrella program” for creative arts initiatives engaging the diabetes community online. Programs include the successful Word in Your Hand campaign, the No-Sugar Added Poetry book published recently, and a video contest called Making Sense of Diabetes. The express goal of all of these efforts is to “provide people with a creative outlet for their disease experience while increasing awareness of diabetes.”

We ♥ your D-creativity.  Congratulations to these DOC leaders!!

And a huge thank-you also to the Helmsley Trust, for putting their money where our mouths are