Lupus Foundation of America Georgia Chapter

As the only statewide valuable resource for the 55,000 georgians with Lupus, the Georgia Chapter provides thousands with free, valuable educational information, physician referrals, resources, support groups and educational programs reaching patients in 120 of the 159 counties in Georgia. Ninety percent of every dollar donated stays in Georgia to support our programs. The Chapter also supports the national research efforts of the Lupus Foundation of America, working to advance the science and medicine of Lupus to bring down the barriers that have impeded progress in Lupus research. Despite its prevalence, Lupus remains one of the least recognizable and most misunderstood diseases in both the medical and lay communities. There is no known cause, no cure, and the incidence has increased hugely in the past 20 years. Current treatments are often very toxic, the side effects often rivaling the symptoms of the disease. We reach out to our Lupus constituents and their families with our year round Chapter programs and events and in a variety of ways, from direct mail to online emails blasts, website updates and information placement in doctors' offices: over 39,000 visitors to our website in this past year. Over 1,200 inquiries and Chapter responses from patients and families for information, resources, and referrals. More than 16,000 social media followers. More than 56,000 profiles in the constituent database. More than 25,000 constituents in the email database. Medical advisory board, comprised of 57 medical and health care professionals dedicated to supporting the important work of the Georgia Chapter. In the past year, more than 1,200 people attended virtual symposiums, seminars, and summits. 25 support groups throughout the state with virtual attendance of at least 2,000 participants. Patient navigator program supporting 62 patients at the grady Lupus clinic and the emory midtown nephritis clinic in our first year. School nurses training for 220+ nurses in the metro atlanta area in partnership with the american college of rheumatology. 200,000 what is Lupus? Brochures, in english and spanish have been distributed in doctors' offices across Georgia. 3,500 walkers and families were inspired and empowered at the 2022 atlanta walk to end Lupus now, the second largest lfa walks in the nation. In addiiton 500 attended our walks in augusta, columbus and macon. The Georgia Chapter continually updates the Lupus resource toolkit which provides a list of patient services available in the state. The Georgia Chapter participates in a number of awareness and education campaigns including the lfa-cdc funded grant to promote Lupus awareness to minority communities through the lfa's be fierce, take control and strategies to embrace living with Lupus fearlessly (self) initiatives, the historically black college and university campaign to bring awareness to colleges and universities, the annual advocacy day at the Georgia state capitol, the walk to end Lupus, and lupus@work initiative to address workplace concerns. Our Lupus parent project, in partnership with children's healthcare of atlanta, provides parents of children, adolescents, and young adults with Lupus with the opportunity to engage with other parents in a safe and supportive environment. The most important work continues at the patient services level, providing critical resources to 1,300+ people including emergency financial assistance all the while counselling our constituents to help them find sustainable resources.