FROM THE PRESIDENT:

The end of the year is fast approaching, with members of Congress negotiating over critical details in the federal budget for fiscal year 2023. Our December Newsletter features several opportunities for you to engage with your elected representatives as they consider these monumental policy decisions. The deadline for the federal budget is December 16, 2022, though legislators may extend the deadline with a continuing resolution.

If you have been affected by COVID-19 or long COVID, we invite you to take advantage of these opportunities to ensure that your voice is heard. Keep reading to learn how you can get involved!

ADVOCACY UPDATES

COVID-19 Advocacy Center Updates

In our Vision for 2023, we described how we wanted to upgrade our COVID-19 Advocacy Center with integrated tools to make advocacy more accessible. We are pleased to share that these improvements are now live!

You can now send messages directly to your elected officials using the COVID-19 Advocacy Center with just a few clicks. Speaking up on the issues that are important to you has never been easier!

There are currently several opportunities to engage with your members of Congress through our COVID-19 Advocacy Center - keep reading to learn more.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

Support $750M Long COVID Research and Treatment Funding for FY23

More info: The COVID-19 Health and Safety Taskforce Calls on Congress to Include $750M for Long COVID in the FY23 Budget

Support $5M Funding for Long COVID Research within CDMRP

More info: Advocacy Groups Ask Congress to Fund Long COVID Research in FY23 Defense Budget

Sign our Petition: Declare a Public Health Emergency for Pediatric Hospitalizations

Share your Experience with Long COVID

Subscribe to our Email List for Advocacy Updates

The COVID-19 Health and Safety Taskforce

A group of non-profit patient advocacy organizations have joined to form the COVID-19 Health and Safety Taskforce (CHeST). This new coalition is working to protect Americans against COVID-19, long COVID, and associated conditions.

NEWS

HHS Releases Health+ Long COVID Report

On Nov. 21, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of the Health+ Long COVID Report. This report represents the next step in the federal government’s coordinated efforts to design and implement innovative solutions to the challenges that people with long COVID experience.

Pandemic Patients was invited to participate in the agency’s development of the Health+ Long COVID Report, and we leveraged this opportunity to elevate the experiences of people in our community who have been affected by long COVID. We are very pleased to see our contributions reflected in the final version of the report that HHS released. The Health+ Long COVID Report includes a special acknowledgment of our participation on Page 83.

EVENTS

18 DAYS REMAINING!

On November 9, 2022, we launched our Long COVID Disability Justice 2022 campaign. The goal of this campaign is to raise awareness about the disabling long-term symptoms of COVID-19 and to support the expansion of our programs next year. If you have been affected by COVID-19 or long COVID, we invite you to participate in the campaign as a peer-to-peer fundraiser and to share it with the people in your network.

The campaign will conclude at midnight on December 31, 2022 - time is running out to participate in this important event!

GET INVOLVED