WARWICK – The Rhode Island Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society has been awarded the 2006 Pamela Cavallo Award. This award recognizes exceptional work in client programs, professional education programs, and advocacy. The award is given annually at the Society’s National Leadership Conference.
“We are extremely honored to have our programs and our advocacy work recognized for their quality” said Chapter President, Kathy Mechnig. “This award reflects hours of dedication by our programs staff, advocates and volunteers.”
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The client program, Monster Bash, received an Excellence in Client Knowledge Programs award. Monster Bash combined education and a Halloween party for people with MS and their families. Participants were able to test their MS knowledge during a “Jeopardy” format game which proved both fun and informative. The Chapter’s Newly Diagnosed Dinners, which are held to introduce newly diagnosed individuals and their guests to the Rhode Island Chapter of the National MS Society and provide them with accurate and supportive information on living with MS, was also singled out.
The professional educational program that was honored by the Cavallo award was Faces Out of Place: Meeting the Needs of Younger Adults with MS in Long Term Care. This well-received program was a collaborative effort with the Boston Home and the Central New England Chapter of the National MS Society and was attended by nurses, social workers and rehabilitation specialists of area long term care facilities.
In addition to programs, the Chapter’s advocacy work was recognized. “In 2006, we helped to pass a bill that allows people with MS to get coverage of MS injectable drugs through the state pharmaceutical assistance program (RIPAE),” stated Gwen Reeve, Director of Programs. “We will continue to make advocacy a priority,” Reeve went on to say. “We are happy to receive the Cavallo award, but we certainly won’t rest on our laurels. There is so much more work that must be done in Rhode Island for those with MS and for their families.”
The Cavallo Award was created in honor of Pamela Cavallo, a longtime National MS Society staff member. Among her many accomplishments, Ms. Cavallo incorporated volunteers with MS into the Society’s workforce, initiated the National Client Education Program, and advocated for Society-wide accessibility.
March 5 to 11, 2007, is MS Awareness Week. For more information about the Rhode Island Chapter of the National MS Society and their many events including the MS Walk, MS After Dark Wine Tasting, Gala and Fidelity Investments MS 150 Bike Tour, visit www.nationalmssociety.org/rir or call the Chapter at 401-738-8383.
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS through our 50 state network of chapters. We fund more MS research, provide more services to people with MS, offer more professional education and further more advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. We are people who want to do something about MS now. Join the movement at www.nationalmssociety.org/rir
Studies show that early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease activity and improve quality of life for many people with multiple sclerosis. Talk to your health care professional and contact the National MS Society at www.nationalmssociety.org/rir or 1-800-344-4867 to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.
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