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THE DUCT
A Monthly Newsletter for the PSC Community
June 2023
Join us for an unforgettable weekend of learning and connecting.
"I have never met a group of people who I instantly felt so comfortable with in my life! It's wonderful to be with people who get it."
-- Past Conference Attendee
Join Us At the 2023 Annual PSC Partners Conference!
Join us as our community gathers once again in person after three years apart! We are planning three days of educational sessions presented by international PSC experts, peer-to-peer supportive gatherings, social engagements, and much more. Registration and a detailed agenda will be available soon.

Registration Fees:
Early Bird Registration (through 7/5/23): $295
Regular Registration (7/6/23 - 8/4/23): $325
Late Registration (8/5/23 - 8/13/23): $375
Industry/Corporate & Medical Provider Registration (through 8/13/23): $500 per person
Corporate and Community Sponsors: $0 (number of registrations depends on sponsor level)
ALL fees must be received by 8/13/23

Cancellation and Refund Policy: If you have paid for a registration for our Conference and cannot attend, PSC Partners Seeking a Cure will gladly refund your registration fee, if you notify us by email at contactus@pscpartners.org of your cancellation on or before August 14, 2023. Attendance that is cancelled after August 14, 2023, cannot be refunded. Industry/Corporate registrations will receive a 50% refund if cancelled on or before August 14, 2023.

Your total Conference fee (100%) goes towards the cost of the Conference. We try to keep our registration fees as low as possible. Please note that PSC Partners Seeking a Cure and our generous Conference sponsors subsidize a significant portion of your Conference costs. Your personal transportation and hotel costs are not covered in the fee, but we have negotiated discounted rates for lodging.
Conference Lodging -- Book Soon to Receive Group Discount
In order to receive discounted Conference hotel pricing, you must book your room(s) via the links available below and on our website. If you book directly, you may not be offered the discounted rate.

Green Valley Ranch is a beautiful resort in a quiet desert location with excellent meeting facilities. It is just a ten minute drive from the Las Vegas airport. Two additional hotels, Aloft and Hampton Inn & Suites, are close to the Conference venue and allow a variety of pricing options. Click links to book your accommodations.


Discounted rooms in our block are limited in each hotel. Reserve soon.

Do I have to stay at one of the hotels listed above? You may stay wherever you choose. However, most PSC patients and caregivers prefer to stay at a recommended hotel in order to remain close to the activities and to further communicate and socialize with other attendees.

Why have hotel prices gone up since we last met in 2019? We always try to get the most reasonable group rates possible for rooms. We have not met in person since 2019, so it is understandable that lodging prices have increased. This is also due to post-COVID travel price increases. Knowing that post-COVID travel expenses have increased significantly, PSC Partners searched throughout the country for a location that has affordable travel and lodging costs while also accommodating outside dining for immunocompromised people in our community.

Please be sure to reserve your hotel room at one of the recommended hotels as soon as possible in order to secure the discounted group rate.
Become a Conference Sponsor!
Sponsors are extremely important to the success of the Conference. The corporate and community funds are used to subsidize the cost of the Conference ensuring that the event is affordable and accessible to the PSC community. Additionally, there are benefits to sponsors, including marketing options and complimentary registrations, which differ depending on the sponsorship levels.



Links to these packets are also available on our Conference webpage.

For more information, contact our Development Director Elizabeth Szewczyk via email: fundraising@pscpartners.org.
Thank you to our first two Conference Contributing Partners!
Updated Conference Masking and Distancing Policy
The health and safety of those who are immunocompromised in our community is of the utmost importance to us. To help people make a choice that is best for them, we are providing the following details.

While we will strongly recommend the wearing of masks at our Conference, masks will not be required. The Conference hotel does not require masks, and we cannot guarantee that masks will be worn by everyone. To further protect immunocompromised people, all group meals will be held outside. Additionally, PSC Partners will provide sanitizing stations and free masks throughout the Conference venue. Depending on updates from the CDC, World Health Organization, or the state guidelines, PSC Partners protocol is subject to change.
 
Before attending, each person should evaluate the risks associated with traveling to and from the Conference and attending an in-person event. If you’re not feeling well, please consider not attending. We’ll miss you, but we want to keep everyone comfortable.
To help attendees easily communicate their level of comfort interacting with one another,
coded stickers will be available to all on-site attendees to display on their name badges. Each attendee will have the option to place a sticker on their nametag indicating to others how they would like to interact. We borrowed this great idea from Global Genes. :-)
Additional Frequently Asked Questions about the
2023 Annual PSC Partners Patient and Caregiver Conference
Whether this is your first Conference or you're looking forward to coming back, we know folks have lots of questions. Check out our Conference FAQ Page for answers.

If you have additional questions or ideas for us, we'd love to hear from you. Visit the 2023 Annual Conference page on our website, and fill out the form at the bottom of the page. You can also reach out via email, contactus@pscpartners.org, or call 303-771-5227.
Do You Experience Symptoms Related to Your PSC and
Want to Help Advance PSC Research?
The FDA has the ability to approve a drug if there is robust clinical evidence showing that the drug improves how a patient feels or functions. Currently, there are no PSC-specific, FDA-approved tools that measure PSC symptoms. PSC Partners is sponsoring research towards developing such a tool and is seeking to interview people with PSC who experience symptoms.

You may be eligible if you:
  • Experience symptoms related to your PSC in the past year
  • Are not wait-listed for liver transplant or have not received a liver transplant
  • Are 18 years of age or older
  • Speak English
  • Live in the U.S. 

Participation in this study, which is in conjunction with the University of North Carolina (UNC), may last 30-90 minutes and include one or two interviews. Participants who complete a qualitative interview, in addition to undergoing screening, will be reimbursed with a $30 Visa gift card for their time.

PLEASE CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT STUDY:
Kaya Merkler
Phone: 919-966-3782
Dr. Donna Evon
Phone: (919) 966-6732

Our Fundraiser for PSC Research is Well Underway!
Have You Joined and/or Contributed, Yet?
We are almost halfway through this FUN fundraiser for PSC research, and our beaker is bubbling! If you haven't had a chance, yet, to join and/or donate, there's still plenty of time.

Our suggested donation is $83.01, because K83.01 is the disease-specific PSC ICD-10 code, but donations of any amount will go a LONG way to helping us reach our goal, and 100% of all donations go to PSC research!
Huge THANK YOU to everyone who has kicked off their fundraiser, so far!
Here are just a few of those smiling faces. Send us your WALK83.01 photos with a sentence giving us permission to share! contactus@pscpartners.org
Join a Peer-to-Peer ZoomRoom to Chat with
Others Who Truly Understand
If you have an event you think would be of interest to our community, please let us know.
If it complies with our guidelines, we will include it on the EVENTS page of our website.
Send event information to contactus@pscpartners.org.


Welcome to Sandi's
Circle

Sandi Pearlman Says PSC Doesn't Stand For
Person Scared Constantly
In her book Sandi's Journey, which is available on Amazon, Sandi encourages folks to find support, knowledge, and comfort at PSC Partners Conferences.

"The internet is full of scary "facts" as are, sadly, some physicians woefully unfamiliar with PSC. First and foremost, PSC is not a death sentence completely devoid of hope. (At the PSC Partners Conference), not only will you hear from experts in different fields about the latest PSC research, education and awareness, you'll actually be in a room with PSCers who are living happy, normal (or at least relatively normal) lives. You'll see firsthand that PSC doesn't mean Person Scared Constantly, and that alone is worth the price of admission."

Folks who have been in the PSC Partners community remember Sandi Pearlman as a bright, positive light. Her insight, humor, and supportive presence were a real gift to those who knew her.
Our Mission: PSC Partners Seeking a Cure drives research to identify treatments and a cure for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), while providing education and support for those impacted by this rare disease.
(303) 771-5227
6900 E. Belleview Ave., Ste 202,
Greenwood Village, CO 80111