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ME/CFS AUSTRALIA (SA) INC

Registered Charity 698

Mailing address:
GPO Box 383,
Adelaide,
South Australia 5001

Office:
266 Port Road,
Hindmarsh,
South Australia 5007
Ph: (08) 8346 3237
('834 MECFS')

Office Hours:
Wednesdays, 10am-3pm

Support Line:
(Mondays and Thursdays,
10am-3pm)
Ph: (08) 8346 3237

SA country callers:
Ph: 1300 128 339
(local call)

FIBROMYALGIA HELP:
Contact
Fibromyalgia SA
at the
Arthritis Foundation of SA
118 Richmond Road,
Marleston 5033
Ph: (08) 8379 5711

ME/CFS Australia (SA) Inc supports the needs of sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and related illnesses. We do this by providing services and information to members.

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Information and Support 2004 is an online appeal that aims to improve our Information and Support Line.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Awareness Rally

Monday 16 May 2011

Via email:

Chemicals South Australian Task Force on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

DISABILITY ACCESS RALLY

RECOGNISING
MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY

Date: Monday 23 May 2011

Time: 12 midday - 2:00pm

Location: Parliament House steps, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia

May is International Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Awareness Month

MCS is a chronic medical condition where people are made sick by low level exposure to common chemicals in everyday products.

The illness can be extremely disabling.

An MCS disability access rally will be held at Adelaide's Parliament House on Monday, 23 May, at 12 noon.

The rally calls on the state government to develop practical MCS disability access strategies for all public health care services in South Australia, commencing with the immediate introduction of controls on the use of perfume and aftershave in public health care.

This proposal is consistent with the Recommendations arising from the 2005 Parliamentary Inquiry into MCS in SA.

It is also consistent with the state government's guidelines for the care of hospital in-patients with MCS.

And with the state government's disability access guidelines for government owned buildings.

And with the Australian Human Rights Commission chemical sensitivity guidelines for disability access to premises.

And with numerous MCS disability access policies that have been in place for several decades in Canada and the United States. [Here and here.]

And with similar international policies for fragrance controls in health care services. [Here and here.]

In 2008 a Department of Health population survey reported that 1% of South Australians have been medically diagnosed with MCS, with 16% reporting unusual sensitivities to common chemicals. The survey concluded that many people in the larger group had chronic symptoms more consistent with MCS.

Similar international studies show that around 2% of industrialised populations can no longer work due to MCS, with up to 6% or more medically diagnosed with the illness.

Public health care services cannot continue to ignore the complex medical and disability accommodation needs of people with MCS.

Please come along to the rally and show your support for the many thousands of people in South Australia who are seriously disabled by chemical sensitivity.

A flier for this event is attached together with a poster from the MCS Society of Australia calling for national MCS hospital guidelines.

Out of respect for the disability needs of people with MCS, please refrain from wearing perfume, aftershave, essential oils or other highly fragranced products to this event.

For those who are unable to attend the rally in person but who wish to show their support, please send emails to the SA Minister for Health, the Hon John Hill, at: kaurna@parliament.sa.gov.au.

For more information see www.ilru.org/html/publications/bookshelf/MCS.html.