#MEAction is thrilled to share the incredible work our State Chapters have been up to over the past couple of months! They continue to amaze us daily with their dedication and hard work to bring awareness to the ME community. Read more about their success stories:

California: 

• The University of California has added some disclaimers about the harm of exercise therapy in its Long COVID modules; however, further corrections are still in order.
• We have continued successful monthly support and information meetings that attract regulars and new people.

Georgia: 

• Hosted a virtual book event featuring Atlanta natives Ryan Prior and Elizabeth Weaver in a panel discussion of their groundbreaking new book, The Long Haul.
• An advocacy team created a survey to collect the lived-experience of our community with the goal of creating a Medical Provider list as a resource for people living with ME/CFS in Georgia. That list is now posted to the #MEAction Georgia Facebook group.
• Six teams of advocates participated in virtual meetings with congressional representatives from across our state for Solve ME’s annual advocacy week, urging members of Congress to support people with ME/CFS and Long COVID.
• Continued to build community by hosting two virtual, monthly meetings focusing on Advocacy and Support, along with extensive use of the Marco Polo app to keep our people connected.

Maryland: 

• #HelpMESenator Campaign distributing copies of The Puzzle Solver to US Senators.
• Medical Advocacy wins with ongoing Maryland Department of Health talks.
• Recent press wins including: 
  • WYPR’s On The Record with co-founders Melinda Lipscomp & Whitney Fox
  • Gwynn Dujardin, PhD our Medical & Community Education Lead featured in Ed Yong’s Atlantic Piece: Fatigue Can Shatter A Person

New Hampshire: 

• Organized a medical education event at Dartmouth Hitchcock titled:The Untreated Epidemic: Understanding and Treating Long COVID and ME/CFS. Check out our New Hampshire State Chapter page for more information.
• Had a front page, Boston Globe article about our chapter and its people, and many of us had letters to the editor published in a variety of newspapers.
• Hosting a table at New Hampshire’s Disability Justice Parade in October, where we hope to recruit more volunteer workers.

North Carolina: 

• Formed the first-ever chapter of #MEAction in the state thanks to the efforts of Josie Jestis. With the help of Tony Marks and Elly Broshus, we began monthly meetings for support and advocacy and created a presence on Facebook and Twitter/X.
• Brooke Keaton of Charlotte, NC, spoke at the #MillionsMissing Press Conference in Washington D.C., sharing her experience as a mother with Long COVID.  
• Multiple teams of advocates joined Solve ME’s Advocacy Week 2023 and met with congressional offices across our state to urge Congress to help people with ME/CFS and Long COVID.  We successfully convinced Rep. Deborah Ross to cosponsor the CARE for Long COVID Act.

#MEAction State Chapters’ advocacy wins are always impressive! The amount of time and effort going into these accomplishments is no small feat! It can take days, months, and even sometimes years for these wins to become reality! We send our utmost thanks to our State Chapters for their continued engagement in activism and the much needed support they provide for this community.