BAYADA Partners with The ALS Association to Provide Care & Support to Families Living with Lou Gehrig's Disease

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- BAYADA Home Health Care is now a national partner of The ALS Association and a Walk to Defeat ALS® Gold National Team. The suburban Philadelphia, Pa.- based company, which provides nursing, rehabilitative, therapeutic, hospice, and assistive care services to children, adults, and seniors in the comfort of their homes, has joined forces with the national non-profit to raise awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, and plans to work closely with families who are battling the progressive neurodegenerative disease.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. For unknown reasons, veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS as the general population. There is no cure, and only one drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration modestly extends survival.

"Many of our clients and employees have been personally touched by ALS over the years. We are truly honored to play a greater role in helping those affected by the disease to live their lives with comfort, independence, and dignity until there's a cure," said Mark Baiada, founder and president of BAYADA Home Health Care.

As a Gold National Team, BAYADA will be starting Walk teams for chapters of The ALS Association in cities across the U.S. this year and will work with chapters to provide care to ALS families at the local level. BAYADA will also work with The Association to develop a training program for its Regional Clinical Training Meetings. Currently, BAYADA is working with The Association's Greater Philadelphia Chapter and has featured the story of one of the chapter's former patients, Kathryn Voit, and her husband Gerry in its BAYADA stories. Voit gallantly battled ALS from 1998 - 2012.

The Walk to Defeat ALS^® is The Association's biggest annual event, which raises funds to sustain patient care and support ALS research. This year, 170 walks will be held across the country. Since 2000, the events have raised more than $137 million toward to support the vision of The ALS Association – to create a world without ALS. The Walk to Defeat ALS^® empowers people with ALS, their families, friends, and the business community to fight back against a disease that leaves many feeling powerless.

"We are thrilled about the potential being unleashed with two large, very passionate, organizations working together for a common cause.  We're proud to walk with The ALS Association and to support the important work they do for the many afflicted by this terrible disease," said David J. Totaro, Chief Marketing and Government Affairs Officer for BAYADA.

"We are excited to begin this partnership with BAYADA," said Jane H. Gilbert, President & CEO of The ALS Association. "Both of our organizations share a connection in that we work directly with those who are fighting on the front lines of this disease, including people with ALS and their families, researchers, physicians and other health care professionals who provide care to those living with the disease. I know this partnership will broaden awareness to those who have never heard about ALS."

BAYADA will also participate in the 2013 National ALS Advocacy Day and Public Policy Conference, which takes place each May in Washington, D.C. The three-day conference empowers people with ALS and their families by allowing these individuals to meet and share their stories with their Members of Congress on Capitol Hill. During these meetings, these families advocate for policies specifically designed to hasten the development of treatments for Lou Gehrig's Disease. This year's conference takes place May 8 – 11.

About BAYADA

Founded in 1975 by J. Mark Baiada, BAYADA Home Health Care provides nursing, rehabilitative, therapeutic, hospice, and assistive care services to children, adults, and seniors in the comfort of their homes. Headquartered in suburban Philadelphia, BAYADA employs more than 18,000 nurses, home health aides, therapists, medical social workers, and other home health care professionals who serve their communities in 25 states from more than 250 offices.

To learn more about BAYADA, visit the company's website at www.BAYADA.com.

About the ALS Association

The ALS Association is the only national non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig's Disease on every front.  By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, 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.  For more information about The ALS Association, visit our website at www.alsa.org.

SOURCE The ALS Association