We Walk to Support

Care Services

Money raised through the Walk to Defeat ALS^® supports vital care service programs to help improve the quality of life of those battling ALS. Our chapter’s experienced team of care coordinators offers a variety of services for people living with ALS and their families. Through care management, assistive technology, a medical equipment loan program, respite care, support groups, and multidisciplinary ALS clinics, we provide essential assistance for patients and their families at every stage of the disease.

• On-going, in-home consultation and home assessments by patient service staff
• Mobility and home adaptation programs
• Durable medical equipment loan programs
• Speech evaluations and communication device programs
• Support groups for people with ALS, caregivers, families, and survivors
• Our 34 Certified Centers and 38 ALS Clinics around the country ensure that people with ALS receive the highest standards of multidisciplinary care
  

Learn more about our Chapter's Care Services resources

View our 2013 Infographic

Research

The ALS Association directs the most comprehensive ALS research program ever organized and has committed more than $70 million in the quest to find a treatment and a cure. Because of the support of foundations, corporate partners, and individuals just like you, we can continue to make great strides toward the day when ALS is a disease of the past.

• Our research is performed in 31 laboratories in the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, and Canada 
• The ALS Association has $12 million committed to the 80 active grants in our portfolio
• We've spent $70 million in research support through January 2012
• For the first time ever, scientists we funded identified an ALS biomarker in the blood that may lead to monitoring the progress of the disease through a simple blood test
  

Learn more about exciting Research

View our 2013 Infographic

Public Policy

Your support for the Walk to Defeat ALS® is making a difference across the country, including in our nation’s capital, Washington, DC. That’s because funds raised by the Walk enable us to tell the ALS story on Capitol Hill and enact policies that advance ALS research, expand access to care, and improve the lives of people with ALS and their families nationwide. In fact, thanks to your support of the Walk, we have:

• Generated more than $700 million in government funding for ALS research
• Waived the 24-month Medicare waiting period for people with ALS,
  the only time Congress has ever amended this law
• Secured unprecedented benefits for veterans with ALS and their survivors
• Orchestrated Congress to enact the ALS Registry Act to launch what may become the single largest ALS research project ever created

However, much more must be done in the fight against this horrific disease. So when you’re at the Walk this year, please stop by the advocacy table and sign a letter to your elected officials urging them to support our top public policy priorities; to support people with ALS.

The Walk isn’t your only opportunity to help. In less than two minutes, you can become an ALS Advocate and learn what you can do to make a difference throughout the year. Just visit the Advocacy Action Center of our website, www.alsa.org/advocacy and sign up today. By doing so, you can help increase funding for research, improve care, and truly make a difference in the lives of everyone who has been touched by this disease. Sign up now! and together we can continue to create the roadmap that will lead us to a treatment and cure!

Learn more about our Public Policy Efforts

View our 2013 Infographic