New York, NY-December 1, 2012- Due to the enactment of Senate Resolution 199 on November 14, 2011, The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) celebrates Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week from December 1-7, 2012. The week is reserved to encourage all Americans to join in the effort to find cures for inflammatory bowel diseases, help raise awareness and support research for the 1.4 million Americans battling Crohn’s and colitis. CCFA will also give a preview to its upcoming awareness campaign “Escape The Stalls” during this week.

“This year’s awareness week gives us yet another opportunity to shed light on these debilitating diseases and highlight the efforts being made to find cures,” said Richard Geswell, President of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. “CCFA is increasing our outreach this year to reach a wider audience with a message that will bring attention to this very important cause affecting so many Americans.” 

Known collectively as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis affects 1 in 200 people in the United States. They are painful, medically incurable diseases that attack the digestive system. Crohn's disease may attack anywhere along the digestive track, while ulcerative colitis inflames only the large intestine (colon). Symptoms may include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever and weight loss. Many patients require numerous hospitalizations and surgery.

The Senate Resolution 199 on November 14, 2011 expresses appreciation to the family members and caregivers who support Americans living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. It also commends health care professionals who care for these patients and biomedical researchers who work to advance research aimed at developing new treatments for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

In support of Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America is asking people to:

• Write to their House Representatives and encourage them to join the Crohn’s
& Colitis Caucus: http://capwiz.com/ccfa/home/;
• “Like” the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/ccfafb) and follow the Foundation on Twitter
(twitter.com/ccfa) and Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/ccfa);
• Update all social media channels with CCFA Crohn’s & Colitis
Awareness Week social media updates;
• Sign up for CCFA’s e-newsletter at: http://online.ccfa.org/site/Survey?ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&SURVEY_ID=1781;
• Start your very own fundraising page at: http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise/team?ftid=7310 ;
• Reach out to anyone you know with IBD and let them know you care.
 Visit www.ccfa.org to learn more about the diseases and get more patient resources, including CCFA’s Information Resource Center (http://www.ccfa.org/living-with-crohns-colitis/talk-to-a-specialist/)

About CCFA
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is the largest voluntary non-profit health organization dedicated to finding cures for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). CCFA’s mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults who suffer from these diseases. The Foundation works to fulfill its mission by funding research, providing educational resources for patients and their families, medical professionals, and the public, and furnishing supportive services for those afflicted with IBD. For more information, visit www.ccfa.org, call 888-694-8872, like us on Facebook, find us on Pinterest, LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter.