Dear
MS activist
The Greater Illinois Chapter would like to thank you for efforts to end MS. We must continue to work together to build awareness and motivate others to TAKE ACTION!
The following are the 2012 priority issues in Illinois for the Greater Illinois and Gateway Area chapters. In order to identify these issues, members of the Advocacy and Government Relations committee, program staff, and the Greater Illinois Chapter legislative consultant, working in collaboration with staff from the Gateway Area Chapter, met in September to present and discuss issues important to people living with MS in Illinois. We also surveyed MS Activists (individuals who receive our MS Action Alert emails) to gather ideas.
Join the Greater Illinois Chapter, and help us bring legislative attention to our priority issues for 2012:
Safe Patient Handling in Nursing Homes Amend the Nursing Home Care Act to require facilities to adopt and implement policies to identify, assess, and develop strategies to control the risk of injury to residents and staff.
Improve Access for People with Disabilities at Gas Stations Requiring gas stations to provide a phone number on every pump so that individuals with disabilities are able to call for assistance in refueling.
As an MS Activist, we need your help to bring attention to these issues. Please share your stories with us. If you or someone you care about has faced challenges related to any of the issues mentioned above, please contact us at advocacyillinois@nmss.org. With the stories you share, we will create story cards (or case studies) that we will show to legislators to help elevate the importance of these issues and gain their support.
In the coming weeks, you will receive additional information from our chapter so you can contact your legislators and discuss with them these issues that impact the lives of people affected by MS and other disabilities in Illinois. For now, on behalf of the 20,000 people living with MS in Illinois and their families, thank you for your continued support.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us at advocacyillinois@nmss.org or 1.312.423.1108.
Thank you,
Anne Chavez Client Assistance & Advocacy Manager
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National MS Society, Greater Illinois Chapter 525 West Monroe Street, Suite 900, Chicago IL 60661 | 1.800.344.4867 | MSillinois.org | AdvocacyIllinois@nmss.org |