When a serious illness enters a family's life, there are many questions to ask and decisions to make. It is important to answer these questions quickly. The process can seem overwhelming. However, hospice care can be a wonderful resource for information about symptom management and comfort care. Hospice care professionals are available to help assess goals, pain management and care options during the decision-making process.
Are your symptoms minimal or moderate? Are these symptoms just starting to affect your life? If you want to continue treatment but also need comfort and symptom management, palliative care (often called comfort care) maybe an option. Palliative care is patient and family-centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing and treating suffering. Palliative care specialists address the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of patients and families, making sure they have access to all the information about the disease progression and the choices ahead. A patient can receive palliative care in conjunction with other treatments or therapies.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7429131-moments-of-life-by-hospice/
In an effort to inform children and their families about the importance of food safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ad Council are joining 20th Century Fox to launch a series of public service advertisements (PSAs) featuring footage from the upcoming film Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip.
An estimated 1 in 6 (48 million) Americans get sick from foodborne illness each year, resulting in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children are among the most vulnerable to food poisoning because their immune systems are still developing, so parents and caregivers need to take extra precautions when preparing food for children under five.
The new PSAs, featuring everyone’s favorite Chipmunks – Alvin, Simon, and Theodore – highlight the four food safety steps consumers can use to prevent foodborne illness. The Chipmunks’ antics and hilarious situations in which they find themselves provide a perfect platform to illustrate these four steps: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. The PSAs help explain actions anyone can take to safely prepare their food, using the Chipmunks as the tool to bring fun and relevancy to a serious topic. The partnership includes TV, radio, out-of-home and web advertising, and parents and children can also find kid-friendly activities that further reinforce the food safety steps by visiting FoodSafety.gov.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7652251-ad-council-food-safety/
New Orleans is one of the country’s most culturally, architecturally, and musically interesting cities. It will serve as the picturesque backdrop for Team Challenge, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s (CCFA) endurance training and fundraising program, to take over the city on February 28, 2016 for the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon, Half Marathon & 10k.
For the first time ever, Team Challenge is recruiting for participants to run through the Big Easy while raising critical funds and awareness of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable diseases that attack the digestive system. There are more than 1.6 million Americans living with these chronic, debilitating diseases.
“Team Challenge provides people with an opportunity to raise critical research dollars while training to do something that, for many people, they never imagined they’d be able to do,” said Craig Comins, vice president of Team Challenge. “It is inspiring to see a group of people come together, some who have these diseases and some who do not, united in the mission of finding a cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7512652-ccfa-team-challenge-recruit-nola/
Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the SYNERGY™ Bioabsorbable Polymer Drug-Eluting Stent System (BP-DES) for the treatment of coronary artery disease.
With this FDA approval, Boston Scientific will commence commercialization of the first and only BP-DES in the U.S. Notably, both the drug coating and the polymer – which modulates drug release – are fully absorbed shortly after drug elution is complete at three months.
The SYNERGY Stent provides synchronized drug and polymer absorption. It is designed to enable more rapid and complete arterial healing, and to thereby reduce the risk of complications associated with long-term polymer exposure compared to currently-used drug-eluting stents (DES) with permanent polymers.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7223456-boston-scientific-fda-approval-synergy/
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) today announced it has committed $28.6 million in new research investment to advance the most promising blood cancer science at leading academic and medical institutions around the world, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College and MD Anderson Cancer Center. As LLS leads the charge to find cures for cancer patients, this new funding, along with ongoing investment in LLS’s aggressive research agenda, brings LLS’s total commitment to blood cancer research to more than $1 billion. The investment has led to the development of nearly every therapy currently used to treat the blood cancers.
Along with these new research grants, LLS remains committed to collaborating with biotechnology companies through its innovative Therapy Acceleration Program® (TAP), a model pioneered by LLS in the cancer arena in recognition that traditional research approaches weren’t yielding treatments and cures fast enough for patients. LLS commits approximately $13 million a year to its TAP initiatives. As part of the 24 current such collaborations, LLS recently initiated new investments with Kite Pharma and OncoPep.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7554852-lls-cancer-research-funding/
The European Head and Neck Society (EHNS) and the Make Sense Campaign, today announced the launch of the Third Annual Head and Neck Cancer Awareness week (21–25 September). Through the pan-European Awareness Week, the EHNS and Make Sense Campaign promote education on head and neck cancer risk factors, disease prevention and disease signs and symptoms for both patients and healthcare professionals.
“Each year 350,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer across Europe, and over half will not be alive after five years. However, if diagnosed and treated earlier, patients can have an 80 – 90% survival rate.” said Professor René Leemans, President of the EHNS and Professor and Chief of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at VU University Medical Centre. “Through the Make Sense Campaign we are educating people about the early signs of the disease and encouraging them to seek professional help in a timely manner. Additionally, we are advocating for the best possible standards of patient care so that their outcomes can be optimised once they have been diagnosed with the disease.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7628151-support-head-neck-cancer-patients/
The Light of Life Foundation, ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., and Eisai Inc. today announced the launch of Myths and Truths About Thyroid Cancer, an interactive, educational campaign designed to help dispel the myth that thyroid cancer is a “good cancer.” Because most thyroid cancers can be successfully treated, many are told if you are going to get cancer, thyroid cancer is the one to have, which has led to this misperception. However, whether successfully treated or not, the truth is all cancers can have a significant impact on a person’s life, beginning with the shock and distress of hearing the word “cancer” at diagnosis. In honor of Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month and the tens of thousands who receive a thyroid cancer diagnosis each year, Myths and Truths About Thyroid Cancer illustrates the life-changing realities of this disease.
“As a thyroid cancer survivor, I urge people to stop referring to thyroid cancer as the ‘good cancer,’ as I believe it downplays patients’ experiences,” said Joan Shey, founder of the Light of Life Foundation. “I hear time and time again from patients how difficult their diagnosis and treatment were and that their scars are more than skin deep. My hope is that this campaign can educate about the many types of thyroid cancer and change the thyroid cancer conversation.”
“Being part of a community of survivors is very important for people coping with thyroid cancer,” said Gary Bloom, thyroid cancer survivor and co-founder and executive director of ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association. “ThyCa takes this to heart, which is why we are proud to provide support and resources to the thyroid cancer community. We also know more needs to be done to elevate awareness of thyroid cancer and what patients need in terms of support for the rest of our lives.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7595951-eisai-thyroid-cancer-myths/
With September marking National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and the kick-off of the 2015 NFL season, the Urology Care Foundation and the NFL have renewed their commitment to driving prostate health awareness, as well as teamed up to highlight a Public Service Announcement (PSA) focused on educating men about prostate cancer and encouraging them to take charge of their health through the Know Your Stats® campaign.
The Know Your Stats® campaign is a rallying force to connect, educate and inspire men across the country to know their prostate cancer risk and talk to their doctor about whether prostate cancer testing is right for them.
“It is important for men to know their risk and talk to their doctors so they can determine if prostate cancer testing is right for them,” said Richard A. Memo, MD, Chair of the Urology Care Foundation. “Having the tools and facts empowers individuals and their doctors to make informed decisions.”
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in America, affecting one in seven men. Odds increase to one in five if they are African American and one in three if they have a family history; however, the educational tools are making an impact. More men are talking with their doctors and getting tested, and fewer men are dying from the disease.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7365551-prostate-cancer-know-your-stats-psa/
Northwestern Mutual, presenting sponsor of the Rose Bowl Game, today announced that its float in the 127th Rose Parade presented by Honda in Pasadena on Jan. 1, 2016, will support the fight against childhood cancer.
The theme of this year’s parade is Find Your Adventure. Northwestern Mutual will dedicate its float design to the greatest adventure and dream of 13-year-old Peyton Richardson of Sugar Land, Texas, who is in treatment for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Northwestern Mutual is committed to raising awareness, accelerating the search for cures to childhood cancer and providing support to families battling the disease.
Peyton, an aspiring ballerina, would like to see the performances of the distinguished ballet companies of the world and have a ballet lesson with one of their principal dancers. Peyton’s adventure will be brought to life in flowers by Fiesta Parade Floats.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7422154-northwestern-mutual-rose-bowl/
The National Climate Assessment: Climate Change Impacts in the United States concludes that warmer and drier conditions have already contributed to increasing wildfire events across the western United States, and future increases are projected in some regions. Already this year, there have been over 44,000 wildfires that have damaged or destroyed almost 8.5 million acres. Long periods of record high temperatures are associated with droughts that contribute to dry conditions and drive wildfires in some areas.
USDA Secretary Vilsack recently stated, “This year, we are experiencing yet another devastating wildfire season, particularly in the drought-ravaged West. Climate change, drought, fuel buildup, insects and disease are increasing the severity of unprecedented wildfire in America's forests and rangelands, which impacts the safety of people, homes and communities. Development close to forests has also increased the threat to property, with more than 46 million homes in the United States, or about 40 percent of our nation's housing, potentially at risk from wildfire.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7607931-fema-national-prepareathon/
This year, parents of nearly 16,000 children in the U.S. will hear the words: “Your child has cancer.” One in five of those children won’t survive. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and as a leader in the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® will focus on raising awareness and funds for this very important issue.
Despite significant progress made by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which has helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rates from 20 to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened in 1962, cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children over the age of 1. Each year about 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide, and 60 percent of these kids don’t have access to modern treatment. For those who win their battles against childhood cancer, victory often comes at a cost as survivors face a much higher risk of experiencing unique long-term health effects later in life.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7390851-st-jude-hospital-childhood-cancer-awareness/
The Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), through its efforts during Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month in September and throughout the year, is working to raise awareness of the increased prevalence of the disease and the associated risk of stroke in patients living with atrial fibrillation (AFib). Today, HRS releases a new public service announcement (PSA) as part of its ongoing work to educate Americans about AFib, the most common heart arrhythmia, and how it increases one’s risk of stroke fivefold. The PSA can be viewed by clicking here.
AFib affects more than three million Americans and it is estimated that 12 to 16 million Americans will have AFib by 2050. AFib occurs when the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) fibrillate, or “quiver,” which causes a rapid, irregular heart rhythm. The normal heart rate for an adult is between 60 and 100 beats every minute. When the heart is experiencing AFib, the atria can beat over 300 times every minute.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7312151-heart-rhythm-society-afib-stroke-psa/
