ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. There is no cure for ALS yet.
By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure.
The ALS Association's core pillars include: care services, advocacy, and global research.
Care Services
The ALS Association in Greater Sacramento serves 284 people living with ALS and their families. One hundred percent of our services are free of charge.
We provide local care throughout the following 24 counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba.
Programs and services we offer to meet the needs of those living with ALS and their caregivers:
- Five Multi-Disciplinary Clinics serving the Greater Sacramento area
- UC Davis Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic: Certified Treatment Center of Excellence
- Forbes Norris ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic
- Kaiser ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic
- Redding ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic
- ALS Neuromuscular Multidisciplinary Clinic Mather: Serving Veterans
- Support Groups for People Living with ALS and Their Caregivers
- Educational Training Programs and Resources
- Equipment Loan Program including Durable Medical Equipment & Communication
- Remote Language Interpretation Program
- Virtual Home Modification Program
- Quality of Life Grants
- Home and Video Evaluations
Advocacy
Our advocacy work focuses on educating and mobilizing members of Congress and the Administration in a nonpartisan way to achieve our mission of discovering new treatments and a cure for ALS, and serving, advocating for and empowering people living with ALS to live their lives to the fullest.
The ALS Association is aggressively advocating for legislative priorities that will help to:
- Find New Treatments and Cures
- Optimize Current Treatments and Care
- Prevent or Delay the Harms of ALS
Global Research
We have the premier ALS research program in the world. Currently, The ALS Association is funding 162 research projects nationwide.
From individual projects to global collaborations, we provide funding to experts in a variety of scientific focus areas critical to advancing the search for treatments and a cure for ALS. Thanks to the donations raised during the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, we're now spending three times more on ALS research than before summer 2014.