#BDC40
40 TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BARBARA DAVIS CENTER In May 2020, we marked the 40th anniversary of the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, albeit in a more muted fashion than we would have hoped. We took the necessary safe steps in light of COVID-19 to cancel any kind of celebration to mark the occasion, but the story of this amazing medical center is one that still needs to be recognized. In 1978, Marvin and Barbara Davis founded both the Children’s Diabetes Foundation (CDF) and the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes (BDC) after their daughter, Dana, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Living in Denver at the time, they were frequently traveling to Boston for Dana’s care and knew there had to be a better solution closer to home. The BDC would provide state-of-the-art care to type 1 patients and devote research to finding a cure for the chronic auto-immune disease. Meanwhile, CDF would function as the nonprofit fundraising arm of the Center, providing the necessary resources and volunteers to keep the BDC open and operational. Marvin and Barbara generously donated a portion of their personal wealth for the building in 1978. Construction on the original Barbara Davis Center was completed in 1980 at the Ninth Avenue campus on Colorado Boulevard in Denver, Colorado. The building was expanded in 1983, 1986, and again in 1994 as more and more space was needed to treat patients and continue research. In May 2005, the BDC relocated to its current location. Housed in a dedicated building on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado, the Center is an independent institute within the University of Colorado School of Medicine. BDC clinical faculty members teach medical, physician assistant, nursing, and dental students on campus. Residents and endocrinology fellows receive critical training at the leading edge of diabetes clinical care and research. The BDC proudly provides state-of-the-art diabetes care to more than 7,500 children and adults with diabetes, as well as provides inpatient care to patients with any type of diabetes who are seen at the nearby Children’s Hospital Colorado. Of those thousands of patients, approximately 40% are uninsured or underinsured, meaning they may not have the ability to pay for their care or treatment. Thanks to support programs of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation, no one is turned away for care and families do not have to choose between the insulin their child needs and a roof over their head. Marvin and Barbara had a dream more than 40 years ago, that the best possible diabetes care would be available to anyone and everyone who might need it. Not only would their daughter Dana receive the top-notch care and attention every parent wants for their child, but any patient who walks through the BDC’s doors would be welcomed just the same, as part of the Davis family.
14
