The Lupus Alliance of LI/Q Announces their Support Group and Education Day Schedule for the year.

The Lupus Alliance of America LI/Q Affiliate will once again hold four education days throughout the year at their Bellmore office located at 2255 Centre Avenue. Lupus Education Day’s are held on Saturday’s from 9:30am – 4:00pm and cover several topics including; medical facts about lupus, how to talk to your doctor, important information about medications, reading lab tests, and more. Family members are encouraged to attend to learn more about the disease as well as how to help their loved one cope. Registration, which is $10pp for members and $15pp for non-members is required in advance and includes a light breakfast, handout materials and lunch. The dates for this years Education Day’s are; April 22nd, June 17th, October 28th, and December 2nd.

The Lupus Alliance also holds monthly support groups in various locations around the area. Locations include; Deer Park, Riverhead, Smithtown, East Meadow, and Queens. There is also a significant others support group held at the Lupus office in Bellmore. The groups are held at various times in both afternoon and evening sessions. Anyone with lupus is welcome to attend any group; however registration is required through the support group facilitator, Paula Goldstein, CSW at 516-742-5687.

The Lupus Alliance would like to also remind the public about LupusLine, their free peer-to-peer counseling service. This innovative program is made up of trained, volunteer counselors who have lupus themselves, who speak with callers on an ongoing as needed basis about emotional concerns related to their illness. A person with lupus who calls the LupusLine is matched with a counselor who has been through a similar experience. This free service is available to anyone with lupus, 18 years or older.

Over 1.5 million people have lupus and this illness affects women 9 times more often than men. The Lupus Alliance is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with lupus as well as searching for a cure. If you have lupus or know someone who does, or you would like to register for a support group, education day or speak to a LupusLine counselor please call the Alliance at 516-783-3370 or 1-800-850-9000 or e-mail them at info@lupusliqueens.org.