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Launch of National Video Campaign, 'Say "Yes" to Health Reform,' Illustrates Broad Public Support for Addressing Crisis of Chronic Disease

Posted on: Thursday, 1 October 2009, 09:29 CDT

Brings Voices of Everyday Americans to Washington Lawmakers

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today launched an online grassroots campaign, "Say 'Yes' to Health Reform" (www.sayyestohealthreform.com), that voices support for health reform that prioritizes prevention and wellness and helps Americans fight common chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, asthma and cancer.

The newly-released Web-based video campaign puts a human face on the crisis of chronic illness in an effort to draw the attention of national policymakers -- now engaged in intense debate on health reform in Washington -- to the profound impact of this crisis on Americans' health, well-being, and ability to access affordable, high quality health care. Nearly one in two Americans has a chronic illness, and more than 75 cents of every dollar spent on health care in the U.S. is spent treating patients with one or more chronic diseases.

"With the health care debate in full force 'inside-the-beltway,' it's become harder to hear what people are saying outside of Washington," said Ken Thorpe, Ph.D., Executive Director of PFCD. "With this campaign, we're reminding policymakers of what's at stake in health reform and who they're doing this for: Americans, both insured and uninsured, who are asking for higher quality, more affordable and more accessible health care and a health care system that does a better job helping them prevent, detect and manage common chronic diseases."

The campaign Web site features video testimonials of Americans from communities across the country talking about why they "say 'yes'" to comprehensive health reform that tackles issues of affordability, access and quality brought on by our nation's high rates of poorly prevented and mismanaged chronic disease -- and why they "say 'no'" to the status quo. The videos represent a diverse mix of concerned individuals -- from patients and caregivers, to physicians, nurses and other clinicians, to business owners and local leaders. Many live with a chronic illness or care for a chronically ill family member.

To date, the "Say 'Yes' to Health Reform" campaign features over 100 videos from the 17 states where the PFCD has chapters, including Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina Washington, and Wisconsin. Through the remainder of the health care debate, the campaign Web site will be continuously updated with new video testimonials, which will be sent to Congressional members representing those states or districts.

About the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease:

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is a national and state-based coalition of patients, providers, community organizations, business and labor groups, and health policy experts committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs in the U.S.: chronic disease. For more information about the PFCD and its partner organizations, please visit: www.fightchronicdisease.org.

Contact: Anne Kott (202) 478-6321

SOURCE Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease

Source: PR Newswire

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