The PA Breast Cancer Coalition Participates in 2008 Patient Advocacy Leaders Summit (PALS): PALs (Patient Advocacy Leaders) for a Healthie...( CHAPEL HILL N.C. April 7 2008 --...),Health

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., April 7, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Patient advocates gathered from across the country April 1-3, 2008 on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the 6th annual Patient Advocacy Leaders Summit (PALS), sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and developed by a national Advisory Board of patient advocates. Dolores Magro, Director of Patient Advocacy & Conference Development for the PA Breast Cancer Coalition, was one of the 75 patient advocates recruited to attend this leaders' conference, designed for individuals who are proven leaders in the advocacy community.

The two day event focused on the theme "PALs for a Healthier America: Through Prevention, Intervention and Innovation," and featured keynote speakers Tommy Thompson, former Secretary of Health & Human Services and Governor of Wisconsin, and Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, Healthcare Expert and Conservative Leader.

Advocates from 27 states and 66 different advocacy organizations were able to dialogue with key healthcare leaders and issue experts to share best practices, refine advocacy skills, and discuss health policy issues related to prevention, intervention, and innovation.

Rising healthcare costs rank high on the list of concerns for most Americans. Though chronic diseases are increasingly preventable and largely treatable, they account for the vast majority of healthcare spending. Little attention is directed at curbing healthcare costs by addressing chronic disease itself. It is critical that reform efforts be refocused on how best to limit the growth and burden of chronic disease. Through PALS, patient advocates from across the country hope to carry forward this message to help change the debate and hopefully fuel meaningful changes in the thinking of patients, providers, policymakers, and payers.

According to Amye Leong, Chair of the PALS Advisory Board, PALS Emcee and internationally recognized arthritis hea
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