It Has Been A HUGE Week in the U.S.!
This last week has been a bit of a whirlwind – we’ve never been busier! It’s been a week of advancing the cause of health equality for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis through the launch of the Unrest continuing medical education program and the expansion of our US advocacy team. It’s also been one of defending our rights, from the sudden shutting down of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee (CFSAC) to Danish psychiatrist Per Fink’s invitation to speak at a conference at Columbia University.
We’re advancing medical education: We teamed up with the Time for Unrest campaign to make using Unrest as a tool for medical education easier than ever. Medical providers can now watch Unrest plus a training video on the diagnosis and management of ME and receive continuing education credit. Over the next twelve months, we’re going to be working to bring Unrest CE to thousands of providers across the United States.
We’re fighting for a better CDC website: We sent our recommended changes to the CDC’s ME/CFS website, incorporating your feedback in our recommendations. We urged the CDC to make clear the harms of graded exercise; place greater emphasis on the importance of pacing; and more accurately represent severe ME.
We’re demanding the HHS secretary reinstate CFSAC: We collated your incredible photos and messages from last month’s virtual protest and sent a letter to Secretary Azar demanding the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee (CFSAC) be reinstated.
We’re supporting local activism: We supported the incredible efforts of #MEAction New York to speak out against Danish psychiatrist Per Fink and stop him from spreading harmful misinformation about ME at a psychosomatic conference at Columbia University. Activists organized a protest and a petition that garnered over 10,000 signatures!
We’re growing our capacity for national and local advocacy: We are so thrilled to announce the newest member of our team, Erin Roediger, our first-ever U.S. Advocacy Manager. With her support, we’ll be expanding our congressional outreach to build support on the Hill for greater research funding and equal access to medical care, and growing our network of state and local #MEAction groups for support, awareness, medical education, and advocacy.
Everything we do at #MEAction is made possible through your love, support, volunteer hours, and donations. As our team expands and our capacity to have even greater impact grows, it’s more important than ever that we sustain this work.
We know how much this disease steals from us financially. If you cannot give today, we continue to appreciate all the ways you support the movement: every petition you sign, every hour you volunteer, every article you share with friends and loved ones, all brings us one step closer to achieving health equality. If you are in a position to donate, we are so grateful for your support on behalf of those who cannot. Remember that every dollar counts. We’re a big community, and even $5, $10, or $25 donations can add up to make a big impact.
With gratitude,
Jennifer Brea
Volunteer Executive Director
#MEAction
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