Jennifer Jaff Center Merges with Patient Advocate Foundation

HAMPTON, Va., May 2, 2016 -- The Jennifer Jaff Center, a respected national nonprofit for those suffering from chronic illness, has partnered with Patient Advocate Foundation to ensure its patient-focused services continue to be available to help those in need. The Jennifer Jaff Center and PAF are pleased to announce the immediate launch of the Jennifer Jaff CareLine to assist patients diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, who's lived with Crohn's Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease for nearly 30 years, has been one of the Center's most steadfast supporters. McCready stated "Jennifer Jaff understood the challenges of living each day with these conditions and worked tirelessly to help people with chronic illness. I'm thrilled that the Center's support to patients will live on through the Jennifer Jaff CareLine, now as part of Patient Advocate Foundation."

Jennifer Jaff founded a nonprofit organization, Advocacy for Patients, in 2005 to offer free advice and advocacy in health and disability insurance areas, Social Security, job discrimination, and educational equity.

Tragically, in 2012, Jaff passed away as a result of complications of her own illness, Crohn's Disease. In the years before her passing, Jaff devoted herself full-time to advocacy, providing free assistance to hundreds of patients, promoting policies to increase access to care, and published a guidebook, Know Your Rights, which offered guidance on legal issues frequency encountered by patients, including insurance appeals, disability benefits, job discrimination, educational equity, and housing discrimination.

Advocacy for Patients was renamed The Jennifer Jaff Center after her death, and has been widely recognized as an advocate for health access for patients with chronic illnesses. A bequest by Jaff enabled the Center to continue to serve patients directly until 2015.

The Jennifer Jaff Center has allied with PAF, allowing Jaff's legacy to live on through the CareLine. The CareLine provides free case management support and patient advocacy services for those living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). IBD refers to the group of conditions causing chronic inflammation of the digestive track, and includes Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

"We are honored to help extend Jaff's mission through our case management division and provide guidance for those living with chronic IBD," PAF CEO, Alan Balch, PhD says. "She was truly dedicated to helping others."

The CareLine is sponsored by The Jennifer Jaff Center and operated by PAF. The Center's Board of Directors concluded that the Center's remaining resources would be best served through the partnership with PAF and utilized through its individualized case management services. Sustained only through this partnership, The Jennifer Jaff Center has recently wound down its operations.

Patients or medical providers interested in learning more about the Jennifer Jaff CareLine should call (800) 532-5274 or visit jenniferjaff.pafcareline.org for more information. The CareLine will offer live service to patients, providers and caregivers Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM ET and Friday from 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET. Bi-lingual case managers are available to assist Spanish speaking callers and many other languages are assisted through language-line support.

Donors who would like to provide continuing support to this initiative can donate to the Jennifer Jaff Fund at Patient Advocate Foundation, or via www.patientadvocate.org/donate.

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About Patient Advocate Foundation: Established in 1996, Patient Advocate Foundation assists patients who have been diagnosed with serious illness overcome healthcare access barriers. PAF provides in-depth assistance through personalized case management, financial support, and connection to critical community resources. PAF serves uninsured and insured patients all across the country at no charge to help overcome and resolve insurance-related and financial obstacles that impact care. For more information about Patient Advocate Foundation and their mission to improve health access to all patients, visit www.patientadvocate.org or call 1 (800) 532-5274.

CONTACT: Media Contact:
         Erin Singleton, Chief of Mission Delivery, 
         Patient Advocate Foundation
         757-952-0561