NEWS

On January 17th, 2024, #MEAction convened a constructive meeting with Dr. Ian Simon, the newly appointed director of the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).The Office of Long COVID Research and Practice staff demonstrated a willingness to understand the connection between ME and Long COVID. As articulated during the meeting, a fundamental principle guiding their work is the mantra, “nothing about us without

The U.S. Senate HELP Committee held a historic hearing about Long COVID last Thursday to discuss advancing research and improving patient care. #MEAction contacted the press to alert them to the hearing, and issued a follow-up press release sharing highlights from the hearing, and explaining the connection with ME/CFS. Our Scientific Director worked behind the scenes to advise a number of committee members on their testimonies. There was a large show of support from Senators

Have you registered yet to join us this Wednesday, December 6th at 4pm ET / 1pm PT for a community presentation introducing the Canary Corps program?Ahead of Wednesday’s event we wanted to share with you Alison’s story. Alison Sbrana will be co-presenting this event, and much of the design of Canary Corps has been shaped by both her professional and lived experience. Her story is a sneak peek of what’s gone into the making of Canary Corps.The purpose of Wednesday’s event is t

Great news! About six months ago, we began a project to update, expand, and revamp MEpedia. Due to a generous grant, we were able to create a project scope, hire respected experts in accessibility and MediaWiki development, and make several important changes to MEpedia!MEpedia is a Vital ResourceMEpedia is one of the most utilized resources for researchers, clinicians, and people living with ME/CFS, with over 36 million page views. However, the software running MEpedia, Medi

I’ve got exciting news to share!In early 2024, #MEAction will launch a new grassroots, peer-run program in the United States to help people with ME, Long COVID, and other infection-associated chronic illnesses find and access local services and support for people with disabilities.This will be an innovative and radical program that is run by, and built for, our sick and disabled community. We call it: Canary Corps.Our community knows well what it’s like to be the “canaries in

#MEAction is thrilled to announce a new travel scholarship for providers and medical students to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Conference, Advancing ME/CFS Research: Identifying Targets for Intervention and Learning from Long COVID, this coming December 12- 13, 2023 in Bethesda, MD. #MEAction is providing this opportunity for one to two promising medical students (MD, DO, NP, or PA) and one to two practicing medical providers (MD, DO, NP, or PA). All scholarshi

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced they will designate people with disabilities as a population with health disparities. This is a win that could have a large impact on people with ME and the millions of people with disabilities across the country. "This designation recognizes the importance and need for research advances to improve our understanding of the complexities leading to disparate health outcomes and multilevel interventions,” said Dr. Pérez-Stable. “

#MEAction is thrilled to share the incredible work our State Chapters have been up to over the past couple of months! They continue to amaze us daily with their dedication and hard work to bring awareness to the ME community. Read more about their success stories:California: • The University of California has added some disclaimers about the harm of exercise therapy in its Long COVID modules; however, further corrections are still in order. • We have continued successful mont

We are writing this article to share some exciting news!On Tuesday, September 26, ME advocates delivered copies of the book, The Puzzle Solver, by Tracie White with Ronald W. Davis, PhD, along with information about ME and Long Covid to Senators on the Hill. The books were donated by an individual living with severe ME/CFS in an effort to raise awareness and delivered by health allies. Advocates will return next session to deliver books to the remaining Senate offices.Myalgic

Halfway through summer, we have so much to report about our immense, day-to-day work advocating for M.E., for you, and for each other. On the medical front, our ongoing, grant-funded project with Mayo Clinic Rochester continues to transform medical education at Mayo. Together, we have updated the ME/CFS homepage, written a Concise Clinical Review article that will debut in Mayo Clinic Proceedings with an attendant CME, and created a new diagnostic and treatment algorithm on A

#MEAction and three Long COVID organizations published a statement today urging Congress to support bipartisan legislation to establish a national task force to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak. Our organizations have also signed onto Marked By Covid’s open letter to Congress calling for the bill’s passage. Together, we are urging Congress to hold our federal health and research agencies accountable for their abject failure to be prepared for the Long COVID and ME/CFS crisis

Announcing #MEAction and Body Politic’s new collaboration: we are excited to announce that #MEAction will now host Body Politic’s advocacy work as a project of #MEAction. Many of you know that Body Politic’s support group has officially closed. This was a devastating loss to the community – we know so much of the Long COVID and ME community have mourned the shutdown of their wonderful space and continue to grieve this loss. #MEAction knew we must keep the advocacy work alive

I’ve been involved in planning many #MillionsMissing actions during my time with #MEAction, but for me, protesting at the Washington Monument this past May 12th was a different—even surreal—experience. The installation of cots was so large that I could see people coming across the mall to see what it was. I would tell them that the beds symbolized the millions missing due to ME and Long COVID, but my favorite part was explaining the personally decorated pillowcases with custo

On 16th May 2023, the Scottish Government published the findings from an analysis of surveys issued to NHS Health Boards to understand delivery of ME services and implementation of the updated NICE guideline. #MEAction Scotland welcomes the survey activity and report, as it provides useful evidence about the current issues people with ME are facing across Scotland. We appreciate the acknowledgement in the report that this survey was a direct result of our meeting with the the

While we are busy working to create a new online experience to highlight all the images and speeches from #MillionsMissing 2023 at the Washington Monument, we wanted to share with you some first-hand, touching experiences from the staff who were there. Each #MillionsMissing has had something special to offer and this year's surpassed expectations with a brand new art installation with powerful visuals to represent the millions missing.We hope you enjoy reading what our staff

Our press work continues to drum a strong beat as we tell the story of ME everyday to the media. We will continue to fight for our community’s decades of expertise living with, treating and researching ME to be heard, and integrated into our government’s Long COVID response. We refused to be erased from the story, or from the response to post-infectious disease. Over the past several months, we have been busy telling our story about the #MillionsMissing to the press. We’ve sp

This year, #MEAction Scotland’s #MillionsMissing campaign focussed on raising awareness of the reality of living with ME and called for education and training for healthcare professionals to improve support for people with ME across Scotland.Ahead of ME Awareness week, we put out a call, alongside #MEAction UK, to ask members of the ME community to join our digital campaign. The campaign asked people to share photos based on two ideas – their view of living with ME or the spa

At #MEAction, we work to advocate for and with people with ME. As a small and growing non-profit, individuals who create and develop fundraisers for #MEAction makes a HUGE difference for the organization. Here are some examples of individuals and groups who are creating their own fundraising initiatives in support of #MEAction. 1. Starting Your Own Fundraiser Through #MEAction’s Website! People with ME, as well as caregivers have started their own fundraisers through #MEActi

This year, #MEAction Scotland will be doing smaller, more focused activities for #MillionsMissing than previous years, and we are asking the community to take part in the digital campaign, rather than joining us in person. We also need people to email their MSPs, which there is information about below.Volunteers are planning two main activities during ME Awareness Week in May.Parliamentary event for MSPs - 9th MayFollowing the successful debate in the Scottish Parliament in F

May is nearly here and that means so is ME Awareness Week and #MillionsMissing! This year, #MEAction Scotland and #MEAction UK are returning to the central theme of #MillionsMissing - drawing attention to the people missing from their previous lives and wider society because of ME.Most people don’t understand how widespread ME is, or that so many in our community have been ill for decades. We want to flood social media with powerful images that show the reality of life with M