As the American Diabetes Association (ADA) continues to monitor the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), we are following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other health authorities.

With this is mind, the ADA will not be holding an in-person Call to Congress in Washington, D.C. April 1-3.

We did not arrive at this decision lightly and were informed by guidance from the CDC who has determined that COVID-19 is a serious public health threat that can pose a risk for people with diabetes. First and foremost, the ADA is committed to doing all that we can to uphold the health and safety of our volunteers, advocates, staff and constituents.

While we will not be convening April 1-3 in Washington for Call to Congress, we will move forward with our Week of Action March 30-April 3 with new ways for you to engage with your members of Congress and to help raise awareness of our priorities. We will be reaching out in the days and weeks ahead with ways you can join our efforts from home.

Every spring, the ADA convenes Call to Congress, bringing together hundreds of diabetes advocates to Capitol Hill. These advocates work to educate their members of Congress about the impact of diabetes, share their personal stories and promote key federal priorities like federal funding to support diabetes research and programs and access to adequate and affordable health care.

Call to Congress serves as the premier advocacy campaign for the ADA in empowering those affected by diabetes to tell their stories and drive positive change and support among congressional champions and key influencers.

Attendees include children and adults living with diabetes, parents and caretakers, health care professionals and diabetes researchers—all of whom put a face on diabetes by sharing their stories. This platform gives diabetes advocates the training, direction and opportunity to have a voice in the decisions being made in Washington that directly impact their lives and the lives of those they love.

While Call to Congress culminates with an in-person event in Washington each spring, the initiative encompasses a far larger and longer engagement campaign throughout the year, giving more than 500,000 diabetes advocates a voice in what matters most at home and in Washington. Because of this advocacy, members of Congress and their staff not only learn about the impact of diabetes, they are moved to support and champion critical public policies benefiting individuals with and at risk for diabetes. Policy change and investments at the federal level move the nation closer to the ADA’s mission to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

The goal of Call to Congress, and our advocacy in general, is to educate Congress about the massive impact of diabetes and gain their commitment to act in support for key resources, legislation and programming to bend the curve of the diabetes epidemic in the future, and to help individuals and families impacted by diabetes thrive.