FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT
Jessica Daitch
Phone: 917-816-6712
Email: jdaitch@ghlf.org
Virtual Event Includes Physicians Answering Live Patient Questions about Rheumatic Disease Management Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic
UPPER NYACK, NY (September 14, 2020) – On September 16, 2020, CreakyJoints® Español, the digital patient community for people with all forms of arthritis and part of the Global Healthy Living Foundation, in partnership with the Pan-American League of Rheumatology Associations (PANLAR), will host the 3rd Pan American Congress of Patients with Rheumatic Diseases for Spanish-speaking people in the United States and Latin America who live with rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and more. The all virtual conference will feature an international panel of physicians to provide advice on disease management strategies, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, including Daniel Hernandez, MD, Director of Medical Affairs and Hispanic Outreach, CreakyJoints, who was named President of this event.
“According to Pew Hispanic research, 71 percent of Hispanics obtain health information through their social networks and 79 percent of them act on this information.[i] But the general health information available for the Hispanic community online heavily leans towards dangerous misinformation, which has led to low levels of diagnosis and a growing knowledge gap. ” said Dr. Hernandez. “More accurate information geared towards the Hispanic population is necessary and PANLAR’s free conference for patients is a valuable opportunity for patients and their loved ones to receive this information. We are proud to be a part of this effort, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month.”
Living Well with Arthritis
The 3rd Pan American Congress of Patients with Rheumatic Diseases is a full-day event that will focus on the patient experience of rheumatic disease. Topics to be covered in connection to living with rheumatic conditions include sexuality, mental health, healthy lifestyle choices, and self-care. Mindful of the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, conference organizers will also review special risks and considerations for people living with rheumatic conditions as well as how to prepare for telemedicine appointments.
“In the United States, we know that Hispanic communities account for a disproportionate burden of COVID-19–related outcomes (33% of confirmed cases)[ii] despite only accounting for 18 percent of the U.S. population.[iii] It’s important to mobilize Spanish-speaking communities in the United States and around the world to understand their risk for COVID-19 and help them navigate available health resources,” added Louis Tharp, co-founder and executive director of CreakyJoints and the Global Healthy Living Foundation.
“As someone living with rheumatoid arthritis, I’m looking forward to attending the PANLAR event for patients because it’s an opportunity to connect with experts as well as feel part of a larger community of people who, like me, are juggling the demands of daily living during a pandemic with disease management,” said Velia Martinez, a member of the CreakyJoints Hispanic patient council.
Event Logistics
Patients in the United States and Latin American can virtually attend the 3rd Pan American Congress of Patients with Rheumatic Diseases by pre-registering at https://www.pacientespanlar.org/
The free event is on Wednesday, September 16 from 9:00 am ET – 5:00 pm ET.
About CreakyJoints Español
CreakyJoints Español offers a repository of Spanish language arthritis educational information at https://es.creakyjoints.org and engages with the Spanish-speaking arthritis community via its social media channels: @creakyjoints_esp (Instagram). CreakyJoints Español is conducting longitudinal research about the evolving impact of COVID-19 on people living with arthritis in English and Spanish via the Autoimmune COVID-19 Project.
CreakyJoints is a digital community for millions of arthritis patients and caregivers worldwide who seek education, support, advocacy, and patient-centered research. We represent patients through our popular social media channels, our websites www.CreakyJoints.org, https://es.creakyjoints.org/, www.creakyjoints.org.au, and the 50-State Network, which includes more than 1,500 trained volunteer patient, caregiver and healthcare activists.
As part of the Global Healthy Living Foundation, CreakyJoints also has a patient-reported outcomes registry called ArthritisPower® (ArthritisPower.org) with more than 28,000 consented arthritis patients who track their disease while volunteering to participate in longitudinal and observational research. CreakyJoints also publishes the popular “Raising the Voice of Patients” series, which are downloadable patient-centered educational and navigational tools for managing chronic illness. It also hosts PainSpot (PainSpot.org), a digital risk assessment tool for musculoskeletal conditions and injuries. For more information and to become a member (for free), visit www.CreakyJoints.org.
Find us on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creakyjoints and https://www.facebook.com/GlobalHealthyLivingFoundation/
Twitter: @GHLForg, @CreakyJoints, #CreakyChats
Instagram: @creaky_joints, @creakyjoints_aus, @creakyjoints_esp
TikTok: globalhealthylivingfnd
[i] Hispanics and Health Care in the United States. Pew Research Center. Last accessed on 9/2/2020 https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2008/08/13/hispanics-and-health-care-in-the-united-states-access-information-and-knowledge/
[ii] Hooper, MW, Napoles, AM, Perez-Stable, EJ, “COVID-19 and Racial/Ethnic Disparities,” JAMA. 2020;323(24):2466-2467. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.8598 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2766098
[iii] Stokes EK, Zambrano LD, Anderson KN, et al. Coronavirus Disease 2019 Case Surveillance — United States, January 22–May 30, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:759–765. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6924e2external icon.
