We’re celebrating two years of advocating for patients. On our second birthday, we just want to say:
Thank You!
You’ve joined us in standing up for patients. You’ve advocated for health care reform to put patients first. Most important of all, you’ve educated countless numbers of patients about their rights, how to overcome barriers to access, and the path to getting the right treatment, right away.
As we reflect on two “quality” years, we’re reminded of insight from patient advocate Jeff Julian.
“If you want to see a true quality year and what value is, then I should think you should talk to a patient, and I think you should hear what that year means to them,” Jeff said at our Voices of Value event in St. Louis. “This past year has meant everything to me.”
These past two years have meant everything to us. More than 100,000 patients have now joined us in the fight to provide every patient with access to the medications they need and deserve.
We’ve assembled an all-star team of patient advocates, who’ve shared their personal experiences, stories and advice to support other patients in their journey. You’ve shared their stories on social media, watched more than 1,300 hours of videos and even managed to take a few patients’ stories viral.
We’ve journeyed from coast-to-coast with our Voices of Value event series, which provided hundreds of patients with a platform to speak up, demand access and identify their value. In New Orleans, we heard from patients living with high cholesterol that are suffering the painful side effects of being forced on the wrong treatment. In Chicago, we listened to the unique needs and concerns of the rare disease community. In Boston, we gained insight into how step therapy policies are forcing patients living with arthritis and psoriasis to fail first. In St. Louis, we learned from patients living with lung cancer that are fighting the care-cutting value frameworks that seek to discount their worth.
We’ve advocated inside the Beltway and state capitols for patient-centered health care reforms. We’re supporting legislation to addess the worst barriers to access: step therapy, non-medical switching, prior authorization and specialty tiering. We’ve shared the authentic patient voice with scores of media outlets, including The Hill, Huffington Post, Financial Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and CNBC. We’ve challenged the nationwide movement seeking to apply a rigid, formulaic process to determine if patients are too costly to treat and their lives too expensive to save.
We’ve partnered with OMNI Health Media to launch an online community for cancer patients and provide a platform for patients to learn about the latest advances in personalized medicine. With the assistance of Clara Health, we’re expanding patient access to clinical trials.
It’s hard to believe how much we’ve achieved in two short years. And we’re just getting started.
As a birthday present, we’re excited to launch our new website that makes it easier for patients to access the information and resources they need. In the year ahead, we’ll be expanding Patients Rising University — to provide caregivers and patients with educational modules that provide tips, tools and resources for overcoming barriers to access. Soon, we’ll be making a big announcement that will “drive home” the need for improved access to treatments.
We’re celebrating two incredible years, and we couldn’t have done it without your help and support.