DSAIA Medical Outreach Webinar: August 22, 2018, 1 pm, EST

Wednesday, August 22, 2018, Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action will host a webinar on building relationships with medical professionals beginning at 1 pm, EST. I hope you will join us for this training and discussion that is vital if new and expectant parents’ experiences are to improve when being told a test result for Down syndrome.

Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action (DSAIA) is an organization that began informally in 2007 with the first meeting of Down syndrome support organizations staff and board members convening in Kansas City, Missouri. From that first meeting of just 63 individuals, DSAIA has become a formal non-profit devoted to supporting Down syndrome support organizations around the United States and beyond.

I am proud to have been a founding board member and even more proud to see DSAIA flourish since rolling off the board in 2013. DSAIA has grown its membership, the professionalism of its annual conference, and its regular offerings for members throughout the year. This Wednesday is yet one more offering to help members and non-members alike interested in developing relationships with medical professionals.

My colleague Stephanie Meredith at the National Center for Prenatal & Postnatal Resources, Sarah Cullen, Family Support Director for Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, and myself will be presenting a 90 minute webinar on this vital mission for every Down syndrome support organization.

Regular readers of this blog know of the professional recommendations for medical professionals to deliver accurate, up-to-date, balanced information about Down syndrome when delivering a test result. You also know from multiple posts how the norm, unfortunately, is for this rule to be honored in the breach rather than fulfilling it.

If Down syndrome support organizations want to have fewer new and expectant parents sharing their bad experience when receiving the news, and want to have more sharing about the positive experience they had which led them to bond with their child more easily, access medical assistance earlier, and know about their local support organization and seek out its help, then this webinar will help you build those needed relationships with the medical professionals in your area.

Information about joining the webinar can be found at this link. I hope you will join us.

For those interested in learning more about DSAIA, here is an excellent 3 minute video that provides an overview about the organization and the value it provides:

UPDATE: DSAIA has posted the webinar and can viewed on YouTube or by clicking play on the video below: