NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The first 2004 cystic fibrosis (CF) Virtual Patient Education Day live webcast, hosted by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, and Columbia University Medical Center, will be held on Monday, January 12. The focus of the Virtual Patient Education Day live webcast is "How to Avoid Germs in CF" and is intended to give people with CF and their families a chance to learn about the reason behind initiating and the importance of observing the current infection control guidelines for CF. There will be two live webcasts on January 12; the first webcast will be at 7:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. CT, 5:00 p.m. MT, 4:00 p.m. PT). The second live webcast will take place at 9:00 p.m. ET (8:00 pm CT, 7:00 p.m. MT, 6:00 p.m. PT).
"This webcast comes at a perfect time as we work to implement the new CF infection control guidelines in every CF Foundation-accredited care center in the United States," says Lisa Saiman, M.D., MPH, professor of clinical pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and co-chair of the current CF infection control guidelines. "Over the past several years, we have learned a great deal about how to prevent people with CF from getting infections and how to reduce possible spread between patients. By using the technological advances of the web, we are able to bring our expertise and knowledge into the homes and offices of our patients, therefore reducing their health risks while keeping them informed at the same time."
Up to 1000 patients per live webcast, or a total of 2,000 people, may pre-register and access the Virtual Patient Education Day live Webcast through the CF Foundation's Web site at www.cff.org. Featured presenters include Dr. Saiman and Lynne Quittell, M.D., CF center director, Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian.
"The importance of infection control, contrasted with the need to keep our patient Cystic Fibrosis webcast community and their family members informed about the latest progress in CF research and care, has been a challenging dilemma for the CF Foundation," said Preston W. Campbell, III, M.D., executive vice president of medical affairs for the CF Foundation. "We developed our infection control guidelines several years ago and although they are important to follow, they do keep individuals and families from group interactions with physicians and caregivers. We think this webcast is a great way to create this sense of community while discussing a critically important topic: avoiding germs in CF. I look forward to listening to the webcast myself and am grateful to the CF care center staff at Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian for their leadership and participation in this endeavor."
Interested participants may pre-register and enter their questions now on the CF Foundation's website at www.cff.org by clicking on "Virtual Patient Education Day" banner and entering code #PT112. Those unable to participate or access the live webcast will be able to access an archive of the event via the CF Foundation's website as of January 15. Questions may still be submitted after the webcast airs and will be responded to on a monthly basis on the www.cff.org site. The Virtual Patient Education Day webcast is made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from Genentech, Inc.
Media interested in observing the webcast at its point of origination may contact the press relations office of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or the Office of External Relations at Columbia University Medical Center.
About CF and the CF Foundation
CF is a genetic disease affecting approximately 30,000 people in the United States. A defective gene causes the body to produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus that leads to chronic and life-threatening lung-infections and impairs digestion. When the CF Foundation was created in 1955, few children lived to attend elementary school. Today, because of research and care supported by the CF Foundation with money raised through donations from individuals, corporations and foundations, the median age of survival for a person with CF is in the early 30s.
The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is to assure the development of the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis and to improve the quality of life for those with the disease. For more information on CF, call (800) FIGHT CF or visit www.cff.org
About Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian
Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, Manhattan's only hospital dedicated solely to the care of children, has built a reputation for more than a century as one of the nation's finest children's hospitals. Home to some of the world's leaders in pediatric care, the Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian includes Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and the New York Weill Cornell Children's Hospital. The combined institution is the largest provider of children's health services in the tri-state area, offering the best available care in every area of pediatrics- meeting the special needs of children from infancy through adolescence in every medical and surgical discipline, including the most complex neonatal and critical care, and all areas of pediatric surgery and surgical subspecialties.
The long history of the Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian includes many firsts and noteworthy achievements, including the first successful pediatric heart transplant; the first center for the study and care of premature infants; pioneering work in thalassemia, the first institution in the mid-Atlantic region to provide radiofrequency ablation therapy for adolescents with intractable arrhythmias; the founding of the field of pediatric neurology and radiology; the first description of battered child syndrome; the development of the Apgar scoring system for the assessment of newborns; the first pediatric AIDS Comprehensive Care Center designated by the New York State Department of Health; and the first Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in New York City specifically designed and constructed for the needs of critically ill children.
Besides serving patients of the local community and from throughout the New York tri-state area, Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian is a major international referral center, treating children suffering from the most complex of conditions.