Community development is at the core of the Beta Cell Foundation. We believe that strong community connections have the power to help people with type 1 diabetes improve their relationship to diabetes through empathy.
Unfortunately, type 1 diabetes is an extremely isolating disease. The coupling of an “invisible” disease with the stigmatization of diabetes makes people less likely to find other people with diabetes and less like to search them out.
We believe that community can help people feel more comfortable with diabetes, fill the knowledge gap between healthcare providers and patient experiences, provide a real and emotional safety net, and strengthen mental resilience. And we believe that in addition to creating online networks, building personal relationships with people near you has been long overlooked by other type 1 diabetes nonprofits.
The Beta Cell Foundation has developed projects to help people with diabetes find and and create their own diabetes community.