Pete Frates 5K for ALS: Supporting the Healey Center for ALS House Call Program

LeMay Family Goodworks is happy to be the Home Run Sponsor for the upcoming Pete Frates 5K to support our good friend, Chris Sayer, who will be running for this incredible cause! The AMG Charitable Foundation is proud to announce the return of the race on Sunday, November 5th, at Lynch Park in Beverly, MA. All proceeds will go to the care and support of people diagnosed with ALS and their families.

Specifically, funds support the Mass General ALS House Call Program at the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS. This program helps change the course of medical care planning and improve outcomes for people with ALS by bringing patient care into the home.

The event honors the late Pete Frates, who was internationally recognized as an advocate for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) awareness and education. Pete helped raise $225 million globally to #strikeoutals before succumbing to ALS.

The Pete Frates 5K starts at 10 a.m. this Sunday. There will even be games, entertainment, coffee, food, and more. There is still time to contribute to the Pete Frates 5K! Please consider sponsoring however you are able. 

Learn more about the Mass General ALS House Call Program below.

What is ALS?

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Essentially, the motor neurons die over time, causing a loss of voluntary motor movements and muscle control. This includes the ability to speak, eat, move, and breathe.

According to the ALS Association:

• In about 90% of all cases, there is no known family history of the disease or presence of a genetic mutation linked to ALS.

• Familial ALS, which involves a known family history of the disease, accounts for about 5-10% of cases.

• There is about a 50% chance each offspring will inherit the gene mutation and develop ALS in families with familial ALS.

While many studies are ongoing worldwide, and recent years have seen a wealth of new scientific understanding of ALS, there is still no cure for this debilitating disease. That’s why fundraising for continued research and care and support programs like the Healy Center for ALS House Call Program is critical!

About the Healey Center for ALS House Call Program

Photo courtesy of the Sean M. Healey Center for ALS

The Healey Center for ALS House Call Program is a collaborative effort between the ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic team at Mass General Hospital and Compassionate Care ALS (CCALS). The program draws from “the best of [the team’s] existing approaches, [their] aspirations for novel patient-centered care delivery, and [their] fundamental belief that the bedrock of clinical care is human connection.” 

By visiting patients and caregivers in the comfort of their homes, ALS House Call teams help improve patient care while reducing the burden of accessibility. They carefully coordinate care and design home visit schedules to integrate seamlessly with the care provided at the ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic.

James Berry, MD, MPH, Chief, MGH Division of Motor Neuron Diseases, explains that people with ALS are often best supported by multi-disciplinary care. Such programs help reduce medical isolation, improve connectedness to the clinic, and help people make decisions in their own homes surrounded by their loved ones.

So, how does it work? Kristin Kingsley, RN, MSN House Calls Program Nurse, shares that a house call typically begins by greeting the patient and taking their vitals. There is then a series of questions for the patient and caregiver, including everything from respiratory to social. The nurse also collaborates with the clinic team before the visit to ensure they can set up a nursing care plan and follow up with patient needs.

The unique ALS House Call Program provides patients with more frequent touchpoints and allows them to remain in a comfortable home environment. Nurse Kingsley says that if, for example, a patient is considering getting a feeding tube, the nurse can provide them with educational materials and feel more comfortable making those decisions at home.

For nurses, the program also allows them to get to know patients in their home environments, meet their families and caregivers, and see their lives through their photos. 

How You Can Help the Healey ALS House Call Program

Photo courtesy of Pete Frates 5K

Mass General prides itself on delivering care better than the standard, and the ALS House Call Program is no exception. Since they go above and beyond, however, the program is not supported by insurance and entirely relies on the generosity of donors.

Please consider sponsoring the Pete Frates 5K this Sunday, November 5th, where 100% of proceeds will go towards the ALS House Call Program. Or, feel free to donate to the program directly today!

Good luck to all the dedicated runners this Sunday! Follow @petefrates5k for updates and more ways to get involved in the future.