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From April 10th-11th EPF held its annual AGM. Katharine Wheeler attended on behalf of LUPUS EUROPE.

Naturally, in the year of EPF’s campaign on Access to Healthcare, there was a strong focus on the #Access2030 campaign and putting healthcare firmly back on every politician’s agenda.

A noteworthy result of EPF’s survey on Access to healthcare is the fact that 60% of respondents experience financial hardship as a result of accessing healthcare. A result that won’t be a surprise to anyone affected by a chronic condition.

“I refuse to be considered a second-class citizen or a cost, my care is not a cost, it’s an investment.” – Marco Greco, EPF President

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For more on the #Access2030 campaign, please click here.

“2017 is a pivotal year – now that we have seats at the table, need to ensure enough patient advocates!” – Marco Greco, EPF president

Seven patient groups applied for EPF membership. BAG Selbsthilfe (German patient self-help group umbrella), the European Congenital Heart Disease Organisation, the Swedish National coalition (HSO Handikappförbunden, and the NCDP – Greek National confederation of Disabled people (not the official English name) were approved as full members. Due to a late application, the Spanish platform for patient organisations (Platforma de Organizaciones de Pacientes) was granted provisional membership.

AGORA (platform representing patient organizations of people with Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMDs) in Southern Europe) and LuCE – Lung cancer Europe were approved as associate members.

Eight candidates put forward their applications as board members. Four positions were available. Marco Greco, Radu Ganescu and Stanimar Hasardjiev were re-elected while Hilkka Härkkäinen was newly elected. Robert Johnstone, a long-standing board member and well-known to many stood down. He was thanked warmly by the board and members for his years of service in patient advocacy. As someone whose comittment and good humour never wavered, he will no doubt be sorely missed.

A record number of Patient Organisations attended the AGM (the highest number yet), and many fruitful discussions were had on subjects such as Access, the complexity of research and clinical trials, the interest of data collection and volunteer recruitment – to name but a few. Work groups also discussed Access, Empowerment, Sustainable Patient Organisations and Governance.

“If each patient is a drop of water, together, we are the sea” – Marco Greco, EPF President

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4 days ago

🦋 How much do you really know about lupus?

Stop wondering — find out now with SLAKE, the Systemic Lupus Assessment score for Essential Knowledge.

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✔️ Get your personal lupus knowledge score

SLAKE is not a test — it’s a tool designed to help you understand which areas of lupus you already know well and where you could learn more.

And if you want to keep learning, remember to visit #Lupus100 and #LupusGPT — two reliable resources to improve your lupus knowledge.

Don’t wait any longer.
👉 Click the link, choose your language, and take SLAKE today!

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6 days ago

🇪🇺 On March 27, Lupus Europe held its General Assembly, bringing together all our member organisations.

🗳️ We shared updates, discussed future plans, and welcomed Udruženje obolelih od reumatskih bolesti Republike Srbije - ORS as our newest member! 🎉

💜 Welcome to the family! We're excited to work together towards a fulfilling life for all people with lupus in Europe, until we have reached a world without lupus.
... See MoreSee Less

🇪🇺 On March 27, Lupus Europe held its General Assembly, bringing together all our member organisations.

🗳️ We shared updates, discussed future plans, and welcomed Udruženje obolelih od reumatskih bolesti Republike Srbije - ORS as our newest member! 🎉

💜 Welcome to the family! Were excited to work together towards a fulfilling life for all people with lupus in Europe, until we have reached a world without lupus.
#HappyEaster
2 weeks ago

🦋 Lupus Europe took part in the 2nd ERN RECONNET International Congress on rare and low-prevalence connective tissue diseases, held in Prague, Czech Republic, from April 9 to 11, 2025.

🙌 Happy to join clinicians and researchers to advance care for rare connective tissue diseases like #lupus!

👩 Our Chair, Jeanette Andersen, delivered a powerful session on The Patient Perspective on Telemedicine, highlighting the opportunities and challenges for people living with lupus.

📊 Alain Cornet also took the stage to share key findings from our Swiss Knife Survey, reflecting patients' priorities, unmet needs, and experiences across Europe.

🙌 Thank you to ERN ReCONNET for fostering collaboration to improve care and outcomes for people with rare connective tissue diseases!
... See MoreSee Less

🦋 Lupus Europe took part in the 2nd ERN RECONNET International Congress on rare and low-prevalence connective tissue diseases, held in Prague, Czech Republic, from April 9 to 11, 2025.

🙌 Happy to join clinicians and researchers to advance care for rare connective tissue diseases like #lupus!

👩 Our Chair, Jeanette Andersen, delivered a powerful session on The Patient Perspective on Telemedicine, highlighting the opportunities and challenges for people living with lupus.

📊 Alain Cornet also took the stage to share key findings from our Swiss Knife Survey, reflecting patients priorities, unmet needs, and experiences across Europe.

🙌 Thank you to ERN ReCONNET for fostering collaboration to improve care and outcomes for people with rare connective tissue diseases!Image attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment
LUPUS EUROPE Uniting people with Lupus throughout Europe
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