Kids Rule When It Comes to Mobile Healthcare, Diabetes

7 August 2005

Since symptoms of abnormal blood sugars are not always obvious and crisis may occur rapidly, keeping everyone on the team on the same page requires a new emphasis on real-time communication.

Fortunately, for over 200,000 parents in the U.S., they finally have access now to real-time mobile messaging technology to better aid their kids with diabetes. Diabetech announces today the availability of the GlucoMESSENGER™ service nationwide with "Back to School for Kids with Diabetes." This special offer includes a wireless messaging device, wireless airtime, diabetes savvy customer support and a lower cost alternative or enhancement to cellular phone service.

School age children typically spend up to a third of most days of their entire young lives away from their parents. When that child has type 1 diabetes, it's no wonder that families have a difficult time managing their kid's complex regimen of multiple daily blood glucose finger-sticks, multiple insulin injections, measured food intake, monitored exercise, and diligent record keeping to facilitate review, corrective action and optimal control.

As part of our GlucoDYNAMIX™ diabetes intervention system development, patients using our devices have developed a common language for communicating diabetes information using diabetes short code abbreviations. GlucoMESSENGER diabetes text messaging makes keeping everyone on the same page discreet, simple and affordable without the disruption caused by talking on the phone. This year, kids will quietly send diabetes short code messages via the Communicator mobile device to their parent's cell phones and email. In addition, parents can reply to their kid's messages by text message or by calling the school. Best of all, parents can message their kids directly instead of calling a cell phone to deliver quiet advice imparting knowledge and making special requests.

The Communicator is easier to use than cell phones due to its full keyboard and safer too thanks to a special Diabetech configuration for kids which prohibits Internet news feeds. Motorola manufactures the device.

Managing diabetes at school has garnered national attention lately following the passage of new legislation in Texas requiring each school to train diabetes care assistants who will in turn assist children in caring for their diabetes. Texas follows 10 other states, which have passed similar legislation. The goal of these new laws is to prevent serious short-term complications including seizures, coma and sometimes death as well as longer-term complications including kidney failure, nerve damage, loss of eyesight and more. The new Diabetes Care guidelines just recently published by the Texas Diabetes Council ( TDC ) can be found online at http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/diabetes/PDF/HB984.pdf or go to the homepage for the TDC at http://www.texasdiabetescouncil.org

School nurses in Texas will be recommending GlucoMESSENGER to parents of kids with type 1 diabetes as part of the toolkit for diabetes care at school and at school sponsored functions. Now parents have an easy way to stay informed without depending too heavily on already overburdened school personnel. As a result, many families have opted in the past for a cell phone for their child. However, in many schools, cell phones have been banned due to the disruption caused by noisy conversations and the invasion of privacy brought on by camera phone indiscretions.

The GlucoMESSENGER Back to School with Diabetes special is our most affordable service at $199.95 for an entire 6 months including everything you need. After the initial six-month start-up, monthly service can be had for just $14.95/mo. GlucoMESSENGER is compatible with all glucose meters and insulin pumps. The Back to School offer includes the real-time Communicator device and wireless service and can be purchased by going to our online store www.diabetech.net or calling our toll free number. No activation fees or contracts required.

GlucoPALS™ - Diabetes Training Partners Study

Text messaging has already demonstrated its value in managing type 1 diabetes. In a study conducted by Dr. Lori Laffel at the Joslin Diabetes Center, reminders to the child's cell phone had the beneficial effect of more frequent blood sugar checks as compared to kids who had reminders sent to their PC-based email.

Diabetech is taking that study one step further by offering to pair kids who have a friend with diabetes as their "GlucoPAL". Simply put, kids may be able to motivate each other when they work together as training partners to gain better control of their diabetes. Diabetech is currently recruiting a limited number of participants for the GlucoPALS study. Participation in this study requires parental consent and a GlucoMESSENGER subscription.

About Diabetech

Diabetech is an award winning diabetes technology company based in downtown Dallas, Texas. Diabetech manufactures wireless medical devices, operates service provider infrastructure, accelerates scientific predictive metabolic algorithm research and delivers a fully managed real time clinical management service. With simplicity at the core of our system design principles, Diabetech enables real-time diabetes intervention. For more information on the company, please visit http://www.diabetech.net

Diabetech is a registered trademark of Diabetech, LP. GlucoMESSENGER, GlucoMON and GlucoDYNAMIX are trademarks of Diabetech, LP. All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners. The GlucoMON device is presently in use supporting approved hospital studies as a pre-510k FDA regulated Class 2 medical device.

Kevin McMahon DIABETECH, LP kevin@diabetech.net 877-694-5826 http://www.diabetech.net