Back in 2008, LifeScan’s OneTouch brand team launched the Global Diabetes Handprint – which enables people with diabetes to share what it means to them to live with this disease. Inspired by the Word in Your Hand Project found on TuDiabetes.com, the idea is for you to write the one word in the palm of your hand that best describes what diabetes means to you and share it on the Global Diabetes Handprint website.

The Global Diabetes Handprint now has a home on Facebook. When you add your hand image to the site, it will be added to a community mosaic comprised of people representing every age, gender, and race from all around the globe.

Yet beyond raising awareness of a disease that afflicts about 23.6 million people each year what I found particularly intriguing about this initiative is that for every hand received, OneTouch® will donate $5 to one of three diabetes charities – Taking Care of Your Diabetes, Diabetes Education and Camping Association or Diabetes Hands Foundation. How’s that for giving back to the community?

Earlier today, the White House announced the launch of a new public health initiative, text4baby  – the US’s first-ever free mobile health service that provides timely and expert health information through SMS text messages for pregnant women and new moms. Simply by texting “BABY” to 511411 (or “BEBE” for Spanish language services) women can receive three free SMS text messages each week timed to their due date or to the baby’s date of birth that provide a wealth of information about the health of both mother and baby through the baby’s first year. 

According to a release issued by the White House the infant mortality rate in the US is one of the highest in the industrialized world – each year, about 500,000 babies are born prematurely and an estimated 28,000 children die before their first birthday.  This new text service is one effort to help address this situation.

Johnson & Johnson is one of the founding sponsors of this initiative, and there is a fascinating story showing how this service can benefit a first-time mother on our corporate website. In addition, BabyCenter, one of our operating companies and a development partner in creating the text4baby content in English and Spanish, has some useful information and great tips for new and expectant moms on its site.

I’m a great believer in the way in which access to useful information can help improve health outcomes.  Text4baby hopefully will help underserved moms and expectant moms gain access to knowledge that can improve address the issues of mother and baby health in the US.

UPDATE: Margaret has an interesting history of Johnson & Johnson’s role in providing information for moms and expectant moms over at Kilmer House.

All companies are trying to cross the bridge from the conventional way we’ve always communicated with customers to participating in the social communities where our customers are talking to one another.  It is a scenario filled with all the adolescent angst of trying to insert yourself into a conversation between the “cool” kids in school whom you are afraid will reject you if you say the wrong thing.  The truth is that every company is struggling with the same question.  Are we a resource?  Do they trust us?  How do we stay credible and remain within the regulatory guidelines?

People with diabetes are on call for their disease 24/7.  Information is coming at them fast – between testing products, treatment alternatives, drugs, devices – they most often rely on the advice and support of their peers.

During the past three years, I have seen significant changes in how people interact and share information about their healthcare.  In the past, healthcare companies hadn’t been part of that conversation.  Now Animas, along with many other companies, is trying to take steps to get more involved. I thought I would take a few minutes to explain just what we at Animas are doing to join in the online conversation about diabetes.

Before doing that though, I just wanted to acknowledge that I firmly believe the greatest value comes from organically grown communities and social networks.  They develop out of purpose and thrive because of the value the participants derive from their involvement.  In the diabetes world, this truly is the case.  In the online diabetes world there are so many passionate, engaged people dedicating their precious time and effort to bringing people together – to foster better education, support and a feeling that there’s someone out there just like them, going through exactly the same things they are going through.

I’ll just call out a few that I see as making a significant impact:

Manny Hernandez (http://www.tudiabetes.com/):  An ever-growing social network with clear purpose and direction.  His work with this community and the Diabetes Hands Foundation (http://diabeteshandsfoundation.org/ – is as Manny describes, “a nonprofit focused on connecting people touched by diabetes”) is changing the way we think about diabetes advocacy, awareness and fundraising.  Manny’s also seen the value of extending this community into Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other channels to fully extend the reach of his mission.

Jeff Hitchcock (http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/): A pioneer in this space in many ways, as his online community was one of the first, and one of the few that have taken it off-line too.  His following is enormous, his online community is very active, and most compelling is the translation of this movement off-line to the annual “Friends for Life” conference.  If you’ve never been to one, I encourage you to go and experience the magic of this event.  The most valuable lesson we, as Johnson & Johnson, have learned was to leave this special community untouched, despite now being part of our company. 

Kerri Morrone Sparling (http://www.sixuntilme.com/): An avid, influential, entertaining and engaging blogger in this space, who really brings the human aspect to diabetes.  Kerri also has branched out into YouTube, Twitter and the likes to spread her words of encouragement or simple everyday stories that make this real for everyone.

Amy Tendrich (http://www.diabetesmine.com/): As she mentions on her site, it is truly a “gold mine of straight talk and encouragement.”  Amy’s work with the 2009 DiabetesMine^TM Design Challenge, which she describes as “an online competition to encourage creative new tools for improving life with diabetes,” should send a wake up call to all manufacturers in this space. The ideas are not just coming from corporate R&D anymore.

Across the industry, the trend is shifting rapidly from company-driven campaigns to user-initiated conversations. The focus group is no longer just indoors, behind a one-way mirror-it’s online, across a myriad blogs, forums, tweetup’s and Facebook groups. We need to be involved in these conversations, both listening and participating – and most importantly, focused on adding value to the conversation.  Otherwise, we don’t belong there.

At Animas, we are pursuing various social media channels – in very much of a “test & learn,” with the clear focus on learn.  We want to see how we can interact with and relate to those who are looking for support. We’ve recently launched a YouTube Channel called Insulivin, where we plan to engage the community in user-submitted content. Insulivin has also given a few of our employees, including some who are living with diabetes, the chance to share their expertise and insights with the diabetes community.  We’re also exploring some other ideas on our own site, in addition to collaborating with some of our sister companies to establish a diabetes health & wellness group on Facebook.

To the extent we can listen more effectively to the collective dialogue online, our success will be measured not in impressions, but in a long-term, personal engagement with our patients.

So I guess we are defining our role as a listening and learning participant and potential resource.  But back to the original question, are we the ones to define it?  Or is the community?  If you are out there reading and have an opinion, let’s hear it.  I read plenty of your opinions of industry in the communities, let me know what you think directly.  Maybe we could even sit together at lunch…

Given the volume of medical information on the Internet, you might think that reliable and accurate information about diabetes is readily available. While this may be true for online diabetes resources in English, dependable information about diabetes is harder to come by for those around the globe who speak Spanish.  (Dele un clic aquí para leer en español)

This is surprising given the prevalence of diabetes in the Hispanic population. I’ll give you an example from the U.S., where I live. According to the most recent national survey data from the NIDDK (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) for people ages 20 or older, 10.4% of Hispanics have been diagnosed with diabetes. Among this segment, the rates for Cubans were 8.2%, 11.9% for Mexican Americans and 12.6% for Puerto Ricans. For those who are first and second generation Hispanic-Americans, Spanish is predominately the primary language spoken at home. What is a parent to do when they receive the news that their child has diabetes? Where can they go for information after the 15-20 minute medical visit is over? 

While I found the lack of accessible information in Spanish to be very concerning, our team involved in Children With Diabetes also recognized the importance of helping to foster a community where Spanish-language speakers affected by diabetes could connect. Diabetes Juvenil provides a dynamic place where information can be shared freely and in Spanish, through forums and chats. The interactive forums and chats provide a way for people living with diabetes to discuss topics with other people just like them — people who really identify with what it is to be a patient with diabetes, a caregiver, a parent or grandparent of someone with diabetes. Being able to connect with others around the world who speak the same language is particularly important for families who are experiencing a void of information due to language barriers.

We are also striving to provide links to other groups that are aiming to offer the Spanish- speaking population services similar to other portals available in English, such as links to organizations  capable of providing medications that are either free of charge or at discounted prices, as well as organizations for young adults or the elderly living with diabetes.

We realize there is much more that can be done, but we hope that Diabetes Juvenil is a good start. Let us know if there are other things we can be doing to help patients with diabetes. We’re always looking for ways to help and language shouldn’t be a barrier.

“As a company that sells not only consumer products, but also prescription medicines and medical devices, there were numerous legal and regulatory hurdles that needed to be taken into account. But we realized early on that it is only by jumping in that you can learn— and we are learning every day.”

Many of our operating companies have also found ways to get involved in social media initiatives. When I found out that DePuy Mitek is using Twitter to reach golf players and fans with health and fitness updates, I had to check it out. I was also interested on a personal level, because my husband loves to golf, but I don’t know much about helping him stay in good shape for his game beyond slipping sunscreen in his bag when he heads outside.

DePuy Mitek is the official mobile health and fitness provider of the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, which means they provide players with on-site rehabilitative and preventive care and educate fans. From their unique position at the tour, they are using Twitter to inform attendees about events, such as opportunities to have a photo taken with a replica of the Charles Schwab Cup or the FedEx Cup. They share with their followers on Twitter the same tips they give to on-site pros and fans: techniques to improve your swing, how to find the right golf shoes, and other info to keep your body and your game in prime form.

For those of you who don’t golf but stay active in other ways, they also tweet about maintaining joint health, preventing and treating knee pain, and how to detect the early symptoms of osteoarthritis (which I’ve learned from a recent tweet is the number one cause of disability in the US).

You can follow on Twitter at NSM_GolfTour

Read Marc’s article on social media here

Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc observed this increase in the number of health care professionals using mobile technologies and created the BLACKBAG™ iPhone Application, which gives physicians access to the latest medical information at their fingertips. Within the first two months of launching the app, BLACKBAG was downloaded by approximately 24,000 users.

The idea behind the BLACKBAG app was to provide physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other health care professionals with easy access to resources and tools to help them stay informed; an electronic version of a doctor’s “black bag.” The app contains unbranded content across a number of medical areas and specialties. Health care professionals can subscribe to customized news feeds to receive breaking medical news, and access to journal summaries, conference coverage, videos and podcasts related to their areas of interest.

Here are a few screen shots from the BLACKBAG app:

BLACKBAG iPhone App

UPDATE: Since posting, there have been a few reviews of the app – here, here, here and here that are worth checking out.

Today’s blogosphere provides vivid personal accounts about the realities of what it is like to live with a chronic condition like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There exists a very active community of RA bloggers (such as All Flared Up, The Single Gal’s Guide to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy, and Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior) who share perspectives and questions about many related topics.

Listening to the perspectives of this social community has helped us to understand more about how RA can affect a person’s quality of life. For example, everyday activities that most of us take for granted – participating in family or work activities, spending time with friends, dating, exercising – can be daunting when someone must contend with stiff, swollen and painful joints routinely, and untimely flares of such symptoms.

There is a new online talk show, New Way RA™, that focuses exclusively on addressing topics of overall health and well-being for people living with RA. The show provides expert advice and practical information through an engaging and accessible web-based format. Visitors to the site can view the entire show online, listen to real-life anecdotes from people living with RA, register to receive a free copy of the DVD, and access resources for more information. (Full disclosure: the project is sponsored by Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc).

We hope that people living with RA, as well as their caregivers, find New Way RA helpful in answering some questions they may have about their overall well-being, and that this program will further raise awareness about a chronic disease that affects more than one million Americans, the majority of whom are women.

You can watch the show and learn more at http://www.newwayra.com/.

For more information about RA, check out CreakyJoints and the Arthritis Foundation.

The conversations we had at Piano Due (which served a really nice porcini mushroom ravioli course) spanned a variety of subjects — from how to monetize a Twitter account to dogs. John Mack, who was one of our guests, posted a nice wrap-up of the conversations that went on at HIS end of the table — which appeared to mostly focus on steps that can be taken to improve the accuracy of online health information.

At the other end of the table, there were discussions about the ROI of social media sites and expanding the awareness of social media efforts. Oh — and there were several conversations about dogs.

So what did I take away from all the socializing? Well, I picked up quite a bit, but one point stuck out in my mind — that ensuring the accuracy of healthcare information online is crucial — and that one of the best ways to do so is to encourage numerous stakeholders to enter the conversation. According to John’s summary of the discussion:

I agree. But that can only be accomplished once more of these stakeholders overcome objections by dispelling perceived risks — and mitigating real risks — to jump into discussions on different healthcare topics. There is clearly much that needs to be done before this can be achieved.

I’d like to thank all of our guests for joining us and making this a great evening.

From Dr. Isaac:

Like most full time employees, I spend more than a third of my waking day at work. When you consider that, it’s easy to see the importance of workplace wellness and the responsibility employers have to help employees lead healthier and more productive lives. This is something Johnson & Johnson has worked to achieve over the last 30 years by fostering what we call “a culture of health” for employees. As a physician and as public health officer, I can’t tell you how rewarding a journey this has been for me.

Now there are different thoughts on how best to do this, but we believe the most effective way to do this is to deliver a comprehensive and integrated package of health and wellness solutions addressing the “whole person” and what I mean by this, is to ensure that our programs cover our people’s needs from mental wellbeing, to health and safety in the workplace, to preventive health screening, health education & awareness and most importantly helping our people to know their health status, offer them programs to improve, and provide avenues for them to be active at work, home and at play. Given the role that robust employee health and wellness programs can have in lowering overall healthcare costs, I thought I would share a quick overview of what’s done at Johnson & Johnson:

Our program includes an online health risk assessment, lifestyle and disease management counseling, services to promote mental well-being, health risk intervention programs to reduce the likelihood of disease; environmental changes in the workplace (well lit hallways, safe stairwells that are inviting for those who want to take the stairs instead of the elevator, healthy food options in the cafeteria); and financial incentives for participation. Employees also have access to onsite fitness centers (which provide a great way to recharge in the middle of the work day) or they can receive discounts to attend local facilities.

What do you get from doing all of this? The results, based on health profile responses, are encouraging. I’ll give you a couple examples (Keep in mind that these figures compare our 2007 results with the national goal for 2010.):

•Our rate of smoking was reduced to 4 percent of our employee population, against a national goal of 12 percent.
•Our rate of high blood pressure was reduced to 6 percent of our employee population, versus a national target of 16 percent.
•Our rate of high cholesterol was reduced to 7 percent of our employee population, against a national goal of 17 percent.

Our biggest challenge is in the area of physical activity. Just over 36 percent of employees report they are not sufficiently active, compared to the national target of 20 percent. This is an area that we continue to work on – if you walk through any Johnson & Johnson facility, you’ll see many employees wearing pedometers, and we organize many team competitions to encourage more physical activity. There is also an online program that employees can sign up for called “Move.” It’s a personalized program by HealthMedia, a recently acquired Johnson & Johnson company that delivers customized, web-based programs focused on wellness & prevention, disease management, behavioral health, and medication adherence. You can read about one of our employee success stories on our corporate website.

Behavioral health is also important to support and efforts in this area have had a measurable impact on absenteeism and mental health. Today, our Employee Assistance program, which we launched in 1978, serves the needs of 90,000 Johnson & Johnson employees and family members in 34 countries.

I’ve been involved with these programs for almost 20 years, and I can tell you that it has most rewarding for me personally to see the significant positive health impact for our employees as well as the value to the business. In fact, our programs resulted in time-adjusted savings of $400 per employee per year, and improved health status was achieved in eight high risk areas, including cholesterol, blood pressure, and tobacco use.

The bottom line is that our health and wellness programs are considered an investment in the health of both employees AND the corporation. To truly create a culture of health that will drive long-term sustainable results, employers must deliver a comprehensive set of programs that focus on both the individual and organization.