Alliance Health Networks Teams Up with Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker to Raise Awareness of Diabetes Epidemic in Children

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In conjunction with National Diabetes Awareness Month, Alliance Health Networks, the leading social networking company serving consumers and the healthcare industry, today announced it has teamed with award-winning filmmaker Jenny Mackenzie to raise awareness of the alarming number of children in America diagnosed with diabetes.

“Diabetes is an issue near and dear to my heart”

With the support of the Diabetic Connect community and its 750,000 members, Alliance Health Networks is supporting Mackenzie’s fundraising campaign for Sugar Babies, her latest project to expose the epidemics of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in children.

To view exclusive excerpts of Sugar Babies and support the fundraising campaign, visit:
http://www.diabeticconnect.com/the-youngest-faces-of-diabetes

“Diabetes is an issue near and dear to my heart,” said Mackenzie. “10 years ago, at the age of four, my own daughter became the third generation in our family to be diagnosed with type 1. After realizing that the rates of type 2 in children were also skyrocketing, I knew I had to tell the story of both types of diabetes. With this film, I am seeking to promote social change and create a movement around both of these epidemics that are silently ravaging our youngest generation.”

Currently in production, Sugar Babies intimately follows five families’ stories, including Mackenzie’s own. The campaign aims to raise $50,000, which will go toward writing, editing, music composition and sound mixing. In return for tax-deductible contributions through Indigenous Lenses, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit production company, donors will receive a chance to win various perks, including tickets to film festival premieres, copies of the documentary on DVD and more. Upon completion of the film, Sugar Babies will be submitted to several festivals, including Sundance, Tribeca and SXSW, among others.

“Supporting this documentary is part of our continuing efforts to share the most recent, relevant information with our social network members and better understand their experiences as health consumers,” said Stead Burwell, CEO of Alliance Health Networks. “Many of Diabetic Connect’s members had diabetes in their youth or are parents of youth with diabetes, and this documentary will be an enriching and valuable resource in helping manage their child’s health journey.”

Diabetic Connect is part of Alliance Health’s growing portfolio of more than 50 condition-specific social networks currently serving more than 1.5 million registered users. The site empowers members to discuss myriad diabetes topics – from sharing treatments to posting product recommendations and much more – and makes it easy for them to start relevant conversations about the latest diabetes news.

About Alliance Health Networks

Alliance Health Networks is building a free and independent social engagement platform that gives people the power to navigate their personal health journey. The company owns and operates more than 50 social networks and 20 mobile versions serving over 1.5 million registered members. Alliance Health leverages social networks to help consumers more actively manage their care through personal connections, powerful tools, and deeper insights. The company's investors include New World Ventures, Physic Ventures, Highway 12 Ventures, and EPIC Ventures. For more information, visit: www.alliancehealthnetworks.com.