SDP Reauthorization Letter to Leadership

To:The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, The Honorable Mitch McConnell, The Honorable Kevin McCarthy, The Honorable Chuck Schumer

"Since 2019, SDP has experienced four short-term extensions lasting between several weeks and several months. Under normal circumstances, short-term extensions have not been beneficial for SDP. Short-term funding jeopardizes the viability of SDP resulting in interruptions on important research and cuts in services. However, a short-term extension of SDP during the current COVID-19 pandemic would be even more harmful. As a result of the pandemic, SDPI has reported that nearly 1 in 5 programs have had to furlough employees, including healthcare workers, over the past six months. Roughly 1 in 4 SDPI programs have also reported delaying essential purchases of medical equipment to treat and monitor diabetes due to funding uncertainty. SDPI programs would likely face additional budget constraints under a short-term extension. Funding for SDP Type 1 is needed to understand the impact that COVID-19 has had on people with diabetes. Research has shown that people with type 1 diabetes were 3.5 times more likely to die in the hospital from COVID-19 than those without diabetes. Further research is needed to understand why people with type 1 diabetes are at a greater risk when diagnosed with COVID-19."

Read the Full Letter