Psoriasis Foundation launches Local Lobby Week as Senate declares August 2005 Psoriasis Awareness Month
Posted Aug. 2, 2005
The U.S. Senate passed a resolution Friday, July 29, recognizing August 2005 as Psoriasis Awareness Month—just as the National Psoriasis Foundation prepares to launch its first-ever Local Lobby Week.
S. Res. 206, introduced by Sens. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., is a significant milestone for the Psoriasis Foundation, its volunteers and members, and builds on the momentum of grassroots advocacy efforts to raise awareness about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
“Awareness is a powerful force against the painful misconceptions that surround many medical problems,” said Sen. Smith. “To the extent that we can increase the common understanding of this chronic disease, we can improve patients’ lives.”
The resolution shines a spotlight on psoriasis as the Psoriasis Foundation calls on the psoriasis community to participate in Local Lobby Week, Aug. 15-19. Volunteers from around the country are planning to meet with their members of Congress, who typically return to their home districts and states when Congress is on recess in August. The volunteers will provide information on psoriasis, dispel the most common myths about the disease and talk about how psoriasis affects their daily lives.
“The resolution is a huge win for the Foundation and the psoriasis community as this is the first-ever psoriasis-specific resolution introduced and passed in either the House or the Senate,” said Gail M. Zimmerman, president and CEO of the Psoriasis Foundation. “It’s an important part of our efforts to raise awareness in Congress and in the general public.”
Meanwhile, the Psoriasis Foundation has made it easy for people to participate in Local Lobby Week, which takes no experience and involves five simple steps. To sign up, go to www.psoriasis.org/advocacy/lobbyweek and follow the instructions, or call Joey Shearer, advocacy program coordinator, at 503.546.8407. Download S. Res. 206 in PDF format.
About Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a common, noncontagious, genetic skin disease that results when faulty signals in the immune system prompt skin cells to regenerate too quickly, causing red, scaly lesions that crack and bleed. It often affects the elbows, knees, scalp and torso but can appear anywhere on the body. Ten percent to 30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints. Psoriasis can affect anyone at any age, including children. There is no cure yet for this lifelong disease.
About the National Psoriasis Foundation
The National Psoriasis Foundation is the leading patient-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of more than 5 million Americans diagnosed with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis and their families. We focus on education, advocacy and research toward better treatments and a cure. For more information, please call the Psoriasis Foundation, headquartered in Portland, Ore., at 800-723-9166 or visit www.psoriasis.org
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