Take the big blue test and change the world of a person with diabetes

The University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences received $10,000 in Big Blue Test grant money in 2011. The money supports 12 free community diabetes education clinics located across the state of Colorado, supported and run by 4th year pharmacy students from the school. This grant money will provide lab testing for approximately 70 people with diabetes in these clinics. The lab tests are provided free to these participants and would normally not be paid by insurance. Each would cost patients around $70 every time they had the lab tests run. The tests are run when the people start at the clinic and again after they have received care for six months.

"The Big Blue Test grant will enable our students and preceptors who are operating free diabetes programs in rural and underserved areas of Colorado to continue to provide free lab tests, supplies and diabetes education to some of the poorest residents in our state struggling with diabetes," said Wesley Nuffer, Director of University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences' diabetes programs. "I applaud every person who joins in the Big Blue Test. You are helping to save lives."

The Big Blue Test, a diabetes awareness program started by the nonprofit Diabetes Hands Foundation, takes place every November leading up to World Diabetes Day on November 14. The campaign reinforces the importance of exercise in managing diabetes. People with diabetes are encouraged to do the test any day between November 1 and November 14 at midnight Pacific Time, by testing their blood sugar, getting active, testing again, and sharing the results online at bigbluetest.org.

The website aggregates all of the data collected live. In the last two years, just 14 minutes of exercise decreased participants' blood sugar level between 15 and 20 percent.

In 2010, more than 2,000 people did the Big Blue Test and over 120,000 people watched the video. Roche Diabetes Care, makers of ACCU-CHEK® diabetes products and services, funded the production of the video and helped it go viral by donating 75 cents for each of the first 100,000 views, resulting in total donations of $75,000. The donation provided insulin and supplies to more than 2,000 people with diabetes in developing countries.

Provided by University of Colorado Denver