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For more than 55 years, the National MS Society has been one thing people with MS can count on: on a personal level and in the public arena. In 1946 — before advocacy was a household word — the National MS Society began advocating for people with multiple sclerosis. Our first victory came four years later: in 1950, Congress established the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Work at NINDS impacts millions of Americans and it receives over $1.3 billion in federal funds annually. Nearly $60 million of that money goes directly to MS research.

Today the Northern California Chapter of the National MS Society does the following advocacy work on behalf of those with MS:

• Promotes public policy in the best interest of the disability community. Learn more about our 2009 advocacy priorities.
• Coordinates a unified grassroots response to political issues of concern to people with MS in our state through the MS Action Network.
• Works with other California organizations that support those affected by neurological conditions through the California NeuroAlliance to promote access to quality health care through education, public awareness, and advocacy.

Our advocacy is focused on: federal funding for MS research; quality health care; long-term care; disability rights; and health insurance and prescription drug coverage. The MS Action Network works on these important issues at the federal, state and local levels.