Health Related Affiliates

Members of the Families for Greenwich Hospital Advisory Board serve as dedicated liaisons to health-related affiliates. The goal of the health-related affiliate relationships is to exchange information and to identify and resolve any new issues that arise in the community, the affiliate organizations, or the hospital.

FFGH Health Related Affiliates

• Food Allergy Initiative
• Time for Lyme
• Type 1 Diabetes - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Food Allergy Initiative
The Food Allergy Initiative's primary mission is to support research to find a cure to life-threatening food allergies and to educate the public on food allergies and their effects on children and families. FAI established the Food Allergy Genomic Initiative at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine under the direction of Dr. Hugh Sampson to identify and characterize the proteins in foods that cause food allergies. This process is complete for peanut, egg, and milk, and ongoing at MSSM for walnut, shrimp, sesame, hazelnut, and Brazil nut, as well as for soybeans at the University of Arkansas. In addition, FAI has sponsored research to determine the amount and nature of the food products that make a person allergic; to understand the development of the immune response to peanut from in the womb on towards adulthood; to determine why certain Chinese herbs have the ability to prevent an anaphylactic reaction; and to characterize the key genetic features of the immune system that lead to allergic reactions to a food. All of these research projects are aimed at helping FAI find a cure by 2010.

In Connecticut, FAI increased awareness of the serious nature of food allergies with the Family Benefit Concert to Beat Food Allergies, which featured the musical group "The Sugar Beats".

For more information about food allergies and The Food Allergy Initiative, please visit www.FoodAllergyInitiative.org or www.foodallergy.org or contact Amie Rappoport at (212) 527-5835.

Time for Lyme
While what attracts people to Greenwich is its natural beauty, the town's beautiful land and woods also provide a perfect habitat for ticks. According to Doug Serafin, director of the Greenwich Department of Health's laboratory, "about one out of every three ticks found in our community has been found to carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease."

The Greenwich Time for Lyme, an affiliate of the Lyme Disease Association, is dedicated to the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge and education pertaining to Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. The organization was formed in 1999 by a group of parents whose family lives had been personally affected by the disease. The Task Force is a valuable resource for our community. It seeks to:

• educate the community by promoting Lyme disease awareness programs
• serve as a community resource for information on the most current medical research and findings
• initiate and support efforts to prevent the spread of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses
• establish a support system for individuals and their families suffering from Lyme disease
• generate funding and financial support for testing and research

Families for Greenwich Hospital facilitated a health initiative with the Time for Lyme, Greenwich Hospital's Emergency Department, and the Greenwich Department of Health to establish tick removal protocols.

To find out more about Lyme disease, visit www.lymenet.org or contact the Time for Lyme at (203) 969-1333.

Learn the ABCs of proper tick removal and where to have the tick identified and tested for Lyme disease.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
JDRF, the world's leading nonprofit, non-governmental funder of diabetes research, was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with juvenile diabetes - a disease that strikes children suddenly, makes them insulin dependent for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. Since its inception, JDRF has provided more than $500 million to diabetes research worldwide, with 87 cents of every dollar going directly to research and education. Its mission is to find a cure for diabetes and resulting complications. Please call (800) 533-CURE (2873) for additional information or to reach the JDRF Fairfield County Chapter in Norwalk please contact Barbara Rose at (203) 854-0658. Their web address is www.jdrf.org.

The Rainbow Club
The Rainbow Club is a weeklong day camp for children with Type 1 diabetes and their families. While offering music, drama, arts and crafts, and exercise for children from ages 3 to 15, The Rainbow Club also offers a concurrent program of educational sessions for concerned loved ones. This program is called The Let's Talk Adult Program and offers such things as research updates from such institutions as The Diabetes Research Institute, product and research updates from companies such as Medtronic MiniMed, and various support, educational, and nutrition presentations from diabetes professionals. For more information, please call (508) 987-2056. The contact person is Kerry Packard. You can also visit the web site.