FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT
Jessica Daitch
Phone: 917-816-6712
Email: jdaitch@ghlf.org
UPPER NYACK, NY (March 2, 2020) – Recognizing growing concerns about novel coronavirus (COVID-19), CreakyJoints®, a Global Healthy Living Foundation digital patient community, developed educational resources for their chronic disease patient community, many of whom are immunocompromised. Though individual risk for and response to infectious diseases varies, people living with autoimmune conditions, such as inflammatory forms of arthritis, may be at greater risk of infection or complications. In addition, some of the medicines that treat autoimmune conditions further suppress the immune system.
“We’re committed to providing comprehensive and science-based information to our patient community about their real risk for coronavirus,” said Laurie Ferguson, PhD, Director, Education Development at CreakyJoints. “As we learn more about the spread of coronavirus, we’ll continually engage with experts, update our resources, and communicate via our social media channels so that we can deliver reassurance to the patient community to alleviate concerns as much as possible and provide support as needed.”
Engage with CreakyJoints:
- Twitter Chat: Members of the media and general public are invited to join CreakyJoints experts and our patient community for a #CreakyChats on Twitter about coronavirus and chronic disease on Thursday, March 5 at 6pm ET, @CreakyJoints
- Visit CreakyJoints.org/coronavirus to read out latest educational materials, such as Coronavirus Facts: What You Need to Know If You Have Chronic Illness or Are Immune-Compromised
Available for Interview:
- Laurie Ferguson, PhD, Director, Education Development at CreakyJoints
- Rheumatologist Doug Roberts, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical School and Medical Advisor to CreakyJoints
Already, more than a quarter of a million people have engaged with CreakyJoints English and Spanish-language coverage of coronavirus online or via our social media channels in the United States and around the world.
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 website www.CreakyJoints.org, 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 nearly 25,000 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, and 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.
