Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg this week presented the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation, the patient services and research organization that has served New Yorkers with lupus for over 40 years, with a proclamation declaring May 2011 as “Lupus Awareness Month in New York City.”
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We are so proud to join the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation and the estimated 60,000 New Yorkers who suffer from lupus in this vital public service campaign.
New York, NY (PRWEB) May 06, 2011
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg this week presented the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation, the patient services and research organization that has served New Yorkers with lupus for over 40 years, with a proclamation declaring May 2011 as “Lupus Awareness Month in New York City.”
“Together we must ensure that all city residents are aware of the symptoms and signs of lupus – such as unrelenting fatigue and swollen or painful joints – so it can be swiftly diagnosed,” the Mayor stated in the proclamation. “That is why we are so proud to join the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation and the estimated 60,000 New Yorkers who suffer from lupus in this vital public service campaign.”
Systemic lupus is an autoimmune disease of unknown cause for which there are few treatments and no cure. Ninety percent of people with lupus are women, and most are diagnosed in their vital childbearing years between the ages of 15 and 44. Lupus is a leading cause of heart attack, kidney disease and stroke among young women, and is two- to three-times more prevalent in women of color.
Since 1970, the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation has leveraged its location in the world’s media hub to promote awareness of lupus while establishing national models for community-based social services to better reach people affected by the disease.
Along with its national partner, the Lupus Research Institute, the Foundation funds research to find a cure, injecting over $17 million into New York City’s medical research centers to build the area as an international leader for discovery in lupus.
“By creating public service campaigns, community outreach efforts, and educational activities, the Foundation is helping to address racial disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of lupus, and improve our residents’ health and well-being,” the Mayor stated in the Proclamation.
Throughout Lupus Awareness Month 2011, the Foundation will intensify its efforts to educate and engage New Yorkers about lupus with a full range of programs and activities across the boroughs, from the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan (May 7) to Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx (May 26), the Today Show Plaza at Rockefeller Center (May 10), and Grand Central Station (May 23 &25).
The S.L.E. Lupus Foundation encourages all New Yorkers to visit http://www.LupusNY.org and join the fight for life without lupus.
About Lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus (S.L.E. or lupus) is a chronic complex and potentially fatal autoimmune disease that affects more than 1.5 million Americans, mostly young women in their childbearing years. Lupus causes the immune system to become hyperactive, forming antibodies that attack and damage the body’s own tissues and vital organs including the heart, brain, kidneys and lungs. As yet, there is no known cause or cure, but the progress of recent discoveries is highly promising.
About the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation
Headquartered in New York City with its west coast division in Los Angeles, the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation is marking 40 years of service to the lupus community. The Foundation is the nation’s first and preeminent nonprofit organization providing direct services, education, public awareness, and funding for lupus research. The Foundation leads the country in vigorously addressing racial disparities in lupus through its community based model programs demonstrating the effective management of chronic disease among minority populations. In partnership with the Lupus Research Institute (http://www.LupusResearchInstitute.org), the Foundation supports innovative novel research nationwide. Learn more at http://www.LupusNY.org and http://www.Facebook.com/LupusNY.
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