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Newark, N.J.—Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body, including skin, joints and/or internal organs, is believed to affect 1.5 million people in the United States alone, with more than 16,000 new cases reported each year. To meet the growing need for lupus awareness, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is sponsoring a Lupus Support Group, open to individuals with lupus, their family members and friends. The first group of the fall season is scheduled for Saturday, September 6th from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., continuing every first Saturday of the month.
Lupus occurs when the body’s immune system cannot distinguish between foreign invaders and healthy tissue and creates auto-antibodies which attack and destroy one’s own healthy tissue. While lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age, men, children and teenagers can also develop the disease. People of all races and ethnic groups are susceptible to lupus, however African American women are two-to-three times more likely to be affected.
The Lupus Support Group can help individuals coping with the disease, which can cause inflammation, pain and damage to various parts of the body. The group meets on the first Saturday of every month, from 11 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in the Administrative Board Room (1st floor, Old Main Lobby) at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, 201 Lyons Avenue, Newark, NJ. Parking is available in the hospital parking lot for a special validated rate of $1.
For more detailed information about lupus, visit the website of the Lupus Foundation of America at www.lupus.org. For further information about the Lupus Support Group, please contact Nekia Jones, (973) 926-7811, or njones@sbhcs.com.
About Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, a 673-bed regional care, teaching hospital established in 1901, provides comprehensive health care services to its local communities and is a major referral and treatment center for patients throughout the northern New Jersey metropolitan area. The Medical Center has New Jersey's most comprehensive Robotic Surgery Center; the State's first accredited Sleep Disorders Center; one of the largest electrophysiology programs in New Jersey; kidney transplantation; the largest hospital-based dental program in New Jersey and The Saint Barnabas Heart Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, which offers the best in adult and pediatric cardiology services and cardiac surgery programs. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is also home to Children's Hospital of New Jersey, the state's premier children's health facility; Children's Hospital provides state-of-the-art care in nearly 30 pediatric subspecialties. Treating ill and injured children from newborn to adolescent years, Children's Hospital also initiates preventive programs that promote wellness in the community.
Date: August 20, 2008
Contact: Public Relations
(973) 322-4921
lblumert@sbhcs.com
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