Let's Make a Deal!
One week ago, Monica McDade, a Territory Administrator for the Association, had the opportunity to appear on Let’s Make a Deal! She used it as an opportunity to raise ALS awareness. The show’s entire cast loved her Ice Bucket Challenge costume, since they participated in the challenge live on air ten years ago when it started.
Monica donated her winnings to the ALS Association and matched them herself to support the ALS community. You can watch Monica here at around the 13-minute mark!
Save the Date: CEO Soak!
Join us to get "plunged" on the West Steps of the State Capital on Thursday, June 6! Opening Ceremonies will start at 10:30 a.m. If you are interested in getting soaked to raise funds and awareness for ALS, please email Stephanie.Cardenas@als.org.
In-Person Sacramento Caregiver Retreat was a success!
On Tuesday, January 23rd, we held our Caregiver Retreat in Sacramento on the beautiful grounds of Eskaton Village Carmichael. Our caregivers were treated to back massages by Massage Heights, catered lunch from Panera, gifts to take home, and raffle prizes.
We had educational presentations from Senior Care Solutions about in-home and residential care options and Luz Johnson about financial planning and getting your affairs in order. We were also joined by Julie Interrante,author of "The Power of a Broken-Open Heart," for a therapeutic discussion about the caregiver experience and emotional well-being. Julie also led the group through guided meditation and a few Qi Gong exercises.
Interested in attending our next Caregiver Retreat? We would love to see you! Contact Shawna Barcklay at shawna.barcklay@als.org.
Walk to Defeat ALS
Save the date for Saturday, September 14th at Elk Grove Regional Park as we Walk to Defeat ALS! Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. We can't wait to see you again this year! For more information, visit www.als.org/WalkSacramento.
Volunteer With Us!
Interested in helping at the Walk? Have a passion for event planning? Need a project to keep you busy and fulfilled by making a difference? We would love to learn more about how you can help The ALS Association. Click here to fill out a brief form and we will be in touch!
Advocacy Updates
With the California legislature back in full swing, we’re actively working with several state legislative offices and partners to advance bills that will help increase access to quality and affordable care for those living with ALS and provide more support for ALS caregivers and families. We are excited to work with the ALS community to ensure passage of legislation that will secure greater access to health care coverage, streamline prior authorization protocols that are overly used by health insurers to delay or deny coverage for vital treatment, protect patient copay assistance for prescription medications, require greater oversight of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to better protect patients, establish a statewide rare disease advisory council, and more.
For a list of our state public policy priorities and how California ranks, please visit our state advocacy webpage. Also, be sure to sign-up to receive our state and federal advocacy alerts so that you can stay informed on actions and upcoming events. On that note, we’ll be holding a California coalition lobby day in Sacramento in early May to advocate in support of our priority bills, and we welcome your participation! More details to come in the near future!
To learn more about our advocacy efforts in California, please contact Kelly Goss.
In-Person Sacramento Meeting -
February 13 at 11AM
(In-person and virtual) For anyone affected by ALS
Second Tuesday of the month
11AM PST
In-person Location:
The ALS Association - Sacramento Office
5701 Sunrise Boulevard, Citrus Heights, CA 95610
Register here
Respiratory Therapy for the ALS Patient Virtual Training -February 6 at 2PM
Being aware of respiratory symptoms and how you can prepare for and manage them is the key to quality of life and, often, to peace of mind. Please join us for an educational presentation about Respiratory Therapy and how ALS affects breathing. Register now.
Powerful Tools For Caregivers -
Six-Part Virtual Series
Don't miss this six-week virtual series starting Wednesday, February 7th at 1PM (PT)! Powerful Tools For Caregivers classes help caregivers take better care of themselves and their loved ones.This evidence-based training has been proven to have positive outcomes for caregivers who complete it.
Classes give caregivers tools to help:
Reduce stress
Improve self-confidence
Manage time, set goals, and solve problems
Better communicate your feelings
Make tough decisions
Locate helpful resources
For this virtual series, caregivers will receive a complimentary copy of The Caregiver Helpbook, which follows the curriculum and provides additional tools to address specific caregiver issues.
This class will be held on six consecutive Wednesdays (February 7, February 14, February 21, February 28, March 6, March 13) from 1:00-2:30PM via Zoom. We look forward to seeing you there! Email Shawna.Barcklay@als.org to register!
Virtual Support Groups
The ALS Associaiton in Greater Sacramento offers professionally-faciliated Virtual Support Group Meetings providing patients, caregivers and loved ones with the support, tools and knowledge they need to live life to the fullest. Click here to RSVP for an upcoming support group!
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