Connecticut passes groundbreaking lupus legislation

June 8, 2011 - PRLog -- LFA, Connecticut Chapter, Inc.
270 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06032
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Monday, June 06, 2011

Attention:  Connecticut  News/Assignment Editors

Press Release

Contact:  Lisa Sartorius, President & CEO, Lupus Foundation of America, CT Chapter, Inc.
(860) 269-6240 or CELL (860) 930-6545 OR Nancy Belfiore, Office Manager at
(860) 269-6242 or email: office@lupusct.org  or www. lupusct.org



Lupus Foundation of America, CT Chapter, Inc. Praises Legislature and Governor for Enacting Lupus Education and Awareness Law

CT Program is Leader in the United States


Farmington, Monday, June 06, 2011 -- The Lupus Foundation of America, CT Chapter, Inc. today praised the state Legislature and Governor Dannel Malloy for passing into law one of the first lupus education and awareness programs.

“The Legislature and Governor Malloy showed tremendous leadership by making lupus education and awareness a reality in Connecticut.  They demonstrated that state government can make a positive difference for people even in a time of fiscal austerity.  This program will help thousands of Connecticut residents who suffer from lupus and thousands more who aren’t even aware they have it,” said Lisa Sartorius, President  & CEO, Lupus Foundation of America, CT Chapter, Inc.  “We look forward to working with state officials to make sure this program results in quicker diagnosis and treatment of this difficult disease.”

Lupus is an acute and chronic (life-long) autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced, causing inflammation and tissue damage to virtually any organ in the body. Its health effects include heart attacks, strokes, seizures, miscarriages, and organ failure. Ninety percent of the people with lupus are women, and it is two to three times more common among African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, and Asians.

The new law would create an Interagency and Partnership Advisory Panel who will be responsible for developing a comprehensive plan to improve lupus awareness and education in the state.  The goal of the plan would be to address the lack of information and coordination around lupus identification and treatment in three key areas:  1) Greater Public Education and Awareness; 2) Greater Healthcare Practitioner Education; 3) Improved Coordination of Public Health Efforts Concerning Lupus.  Low awareness about lupus contributes to late diagnosis and treatment of lupus which could potentially be fatal to the individual.

About the Lupus Foundation of America and the CT Chapter
The Lupus Foundation of America is the nation's leading nonprofit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus and providing support and services to all people affected by lupus.  The Connecticut Lupus Foundation was established in May of 1973 when there were only a few individual chapters around the country. At that time the Lupus Foundation of America had not yet been established as a national organization.

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About the Lupus Foundation of America, CT Chapter: The Chapter's is dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus and providing support, services and hope to all people affected by lupus.