As more and more establishments, public buildings and public places host defibrillators to assist in the event of a cardiac arrest, people with diabetes are campaigning for Glucogon to be more widely available to inject when someone with diabetes suffers a hypoglycaemic event.
Glucagon is a hormone that your pancreas makes to help regulate your blood glucose (sugar) levels. It comes as a solution (liquid) in a prefilled syringe and an auto-injector device to inject subcutaneously (just under the skin) when someone sufferers an extreme low blood sugar event.
In the USA, the Arizona State has passed a Bill, House Bill 2174, introduced by Rep. Beverly Pingerelli, R-Peoria, to allow schools to keep a supply of glucagon.
A powerful case was made by Scottsdale Unified School District school nurse Will Graham who explained that unless glucagon medication is provided by the pupil’s parents, school nurses cannot do anything to help a student except calling emergency services and idly awaiting their arrival.
“This period of waiting without (the) option for treatment can result in permanent disability or death to the student,” he said.
Advocacy Action: Can you check to see if any of your public buildings: Libraries, schools, government offices etc hold a Glucagon injection device? Ask your elected representatives to push for them to be available in public places. You could ask them whether there is a device in their Parliament or Assembly for staff, visitors or elected members who might one day need it, as a first step to ensure every place of work, study or leisure has one?