10 December 1996: meeting of our Board of Management ( 9 members which include 3 doctors representing the 3 universities).

They have clearly defind the role of the Association for next year.

They do not want to change anything at the moment: the work is still done by volunteers having lupus.

They decided to keep on giving maximum information through 3 meetings a year, through Newsletters and phone calls. The chairperson of our group, Anne Marie Verbeeck, is on duty every day, spending a lot of time on the phone; this is particularly usefull for the new sufferers and patients in a depressed mood.

Newsletter ("Le Lien"): still published 4 times a year. In its new layout, an A5 format, it has improved enormously. There is a new heading and letters column for social problems.

Meetings: Saturday, 15 March 1997: "Lupus and Pain" talk given by Prof. M. Malaise

(University of Liège)

These talks with the opportunity to ask questions are always well attended.

The average attendance is about 80 people in October and March,

200 people in May.

Saturday, 31 May 1997:

National Information Day at the University of Brussels (Erasmus Hospital).

The topics will be: - "Lupus, a multi-facetted disease"

- "What’s new concerning causes and treatment?"

Social Security

- Despite the financial restictions in the field of social care, our Association is one of those

which have succeeded in getting a renewal of tax immunity of donations for 1997.

- We have participated in a large socioeconomic inquiry on the daily costs for a chronical

disease. A questionnaire made in collaboration with others Associations and with mutual

insurances was sent to all kinds of chronical patients; the results will be given to the Minister.

- We intend to participate in the international medical inverstigation on lupus (questionnaire

made by WHO). The aim is to find about environmental influence on lupus and on its appearance.

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