Black Diabetics Lose Limbs at Triple the Rate of Others. Here's How Health Care Leaders Are Starting

Black Diabetics Lose Limbs at Triple the Rate of Others. Here’s How Health Care Leaders Are Starting to Act.


Prompted by a ProPublica story that detailed how Black Americans with diabetes lose limbs at a rate triple that of others, the American Diabetes Association has included an initiative to prevent unnecessary amputations as part of an unprecedented campaign to reduce racial disparities in diabetes care.

“The ProPublica article raised the consciousness of what the problem is,” said Tracey Brown, the CEO of the ADA. “Every four minutes, someone is losing a limb from diabetic complications. That’s ridiculous. We have got to find a way to drive change.”

The story highlighted obstacles to equitable care for diabetic patients at risk of amputation, from the government’s decision not to endorse screening at-risk patients for vascular disease in the legs, to the inadequate incentives for certain specialists to move to underserved areas, to the health system’s failure to consider limb-saving options before permitting surgeons to apply a blade.

In the weeks that followed publication, several congressional and state legislative offices reached out to the association to ask for guidance on drafting policy to reduce disparities in diabetic amputations. In response, the organization decided to build an agenda around the issue.

Read more: https://www.propublica.org/article/black-diabetics-lose-limbs-at-triple-the-rate-of-others-heres-how-health-care-leaders-are-starting-to-act