Advocacy lies at the core of our mission. Through educational resources and volunteer support, the FPA empowers the facial pain community to advocate for themselves and one another. From using our voices during Facial Pain Awareness Month and Rare Disease Day to sharing our lived experience with researchers seeking to understand facial pain and find better treatments — we have made tremendous progress, but there is more that we can do.
Our goal is to build on the success of our individual efforts and expand advocacy to a national level. By partnering with organizations committed to advocating for legislative changes, funding allocations, and policy reforms, we can amplify our collective voice and have a greater impact. As part of our commitment to fostering systemic change, it is my pleasure to announce that the FPA has joined the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA) as a member organization where we have the honor of serving on their Board of Directors.
For nearly two decades, the AHDA has been the leading voice in federal headache advocacy. In March, the FPA participated in Headache on the Hill, an annual advocacy event with the AHDA bringing together healthcare professionals, advocates, patients, caregivers, and researchers in support of the common goal to make life better for all those living with or otherwise impacted by headache disorders, including neuropathic facial pain,* in the United States.
As the FPA continues to meet you where you are today, we press forward for progress. We are focused and facing forward, putting advocacy into action. This year, we have hit the ground running, adding our voices to the halls of Congress and our words in letters to the White House. We are taking our seat at the table with the organizations in charge of funding what will move research forward. As we continue to expand our efforts, we are adding a new section on our website dedicated to advocacy where you can read updates and learn more about how you can get involved.
With gratitude and deepest appreciation for your support,
* Neuropathic facial pain, including trigeminal neuralgia, is diagnostically classified by the International Headache Society in The International Classification of Headache Disorders.
