MS Views and News Seeks to Improve MS Education in July

MS Views and News (MSVN) is a non-profit organization that works at collecting, presenting and distributing information about multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as improving knowledge and education among patients and other members of the MS community. During July, MS Views and News will host four events featuring medical experts which will be held in Florida and Kentucky and will focus disease management.

Exploring different themes, the four events are designed to educate patients on dealing with MS in the family and the workplace as well as effectively communicating with medical professionals and treatment options. The first event is called “The Land of MS – Effective Communication with Your Healthcare Team and Beyond Neurologist” and will take place on July 7 at the Doubletree by Hilton Deerfield Beach/Boca Raton, on Fairway Drive in Deerfield Beach, FL. Brian Steingo, MD will discuss tools to effectively communicate with healthcare providers and address patients’ needs.

On the same day, licensed clinical psychologist Rhonda Q. Freeman, PhD, is going to address the benefits of neuro-psychological testing in relation to MS assessment, consultation and interventional treatment, while Jeffrey Segal, BS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, CPTS will discuss the topic of “Using Stretching Techniques to reduce Pain from Spasticity Program.”

On July 14, an event entitled “Men’s & Women’s Health Issues with MS Self Aspects plus the Impact on the Family” will be hosted by Matthew Baker, MD. Topics such as MS self aspects, nutrition, depression, keeping positive and symptom management will be addressed at the Embassy Suites Fort Myers, in Estero, Fl. Physical therapist and intuitive healer Michelle Alva will also teach patients how to activate the body medicine and live with purpose, passion and pleasure.

The third event is designed for women and special guest speaker Patricia Pagnotta, MSN, ARNP-C will talk about self aspects, bladder problems, sexuality, nutrition, depression, keeping positive and symptom management related to female MS patients. The event entitled “Women’s Health and MS The Impact on Employment and the Family” will take place on July 15 at the Holiday Inn, in Sarasota, Fl., and during the Q&A session, men will be asked to leave the room to give female patients privacy.

Finally, MS Views and News will also host an event on “Empowering an MS Community in America’s Heartland,” which will have as a guest speaker advanced registered nurse practitioner (APRN) Jenifer Patterson from the Norton Healthcare Multiple Sclerosis Center. Patterson will discuss the FDA-approved treatment options for MS, adherence, compliance, relapse and the invisible symptoms of the disease. The fourth event will take place on July 27 at the Holiday Inn Louisville East, in Kentucky.

Registration for all programs begins at 5:50 pm followed by the presentations and a complimentary dinner for all attendees. MS Views and News is organizing all of the programs with support from Genzyme, Teva, NeuroScience and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.

Two of the MS healthcare specialists and guest speakers who will host the event have recently been invited to join MS Views and News’ medical advisory board. Brian Steingo, MD and Patricia Pagnotta, MSN, ARNP-C co-chair the new board to assist the organization’s mission. The two new chairs of MSVN’s medical advisory board will lead volunteers working at the organization, which was founded in 2008 and is currently a source of articles, videos and presentations on the disease.

To find out more about these events and register, click here.