I am quite happy to say that I've been actively involved as a patient advocate and advisor over the past few months for the new community outreach and educational program called Partners in Parkinson's. The project is a strategic collaborative effort which will be managed by the Michael J Fox Foundation with funding from AbbVie. In addition to these two organizations, there has been assistance from teams of PwP as advocates and advisors throughout the country.

Partners in Parkinson's will be a strategic health initiative to fill knowledge gaps and provide new educational tools and resources for the Parkinson’s community to help optimize care at every stage of disease. The inaugural kick-off events will be in New York City on May 18 and Cleveland on May 31, Partners in Parkinson’s will visit 11 cities across the United States in 2014.

The Partners in Parkinson’s events will offer new insights on topics including:

• How to make the most of your relationship with your doctor, and what to expect from specialist care
• Updates on research toward new treatments for Parkinson’s, and opportunities to participate in studies that need you
• How Parkinson’s affects relationships with family, friends, spouse — and strategies for keeping these vital connections strong
• How engaging in the Parkinson’s community can help others as well as yourself

In addition to structured panel discussions, Partners in Parkinson’s also provides the opportunity to browse a full-day, local Resource Fair. The fair will help PwP learn more about the resources available in your local Parkinson’s community — including movement disorder specialists, clinical trials, allied healthcare providers (such as physical, speech and occupational therapists), political advocacy groups, support groups and more.

I personally see this program as a work in progress. I would love to get suggestions and feedback from our NT members which I will gladly pass along to the teams involved. In addition, please help get the word out in your communities about the new organization, upcoming events and new website which is under production.

This is a link to the new website and registration pages for the first two events in NYC and Cleveland. The remainder of the schedule will be added shortly.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/ne...ostthread&f=34

Please send me a note if you can attend the NYC event. I would be happy to meet other members there. In addition, MJFF will have a Partners in Parkinson's booth at the upcoming Unity Walk in Central Park on April 26th. Stop by if you are attending the walk.

Thanks,

Gary