Through a network of 140 local chapters and branches, the National MS Society offers programs and services including local referrals, information and education, professional and peer counseling, self-help groups, equipment assistance, advocacy programs, and more. Society members are people with MS, their families, friends, neighbors, and employers, health-care professionals, staff members, and others concerned about people with disabilities. The Society is the world's largest source of MS-related research funds (with the exception of the U.S. federal government) investing in basic, clinical, and health-policy investigations and fellowships that encourage young scientists to focus on MS research. It is also a world center for information about MS and publishes booklets, brochures, and a national magazine for people who live with this disease.
The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is a comprehensive, not-for-profit, charitable service agency that most specifically helps people, their friends, their families, and society in general to address the day-to-day needs of those with MS. The agency specializes in and has developed an international reputation for direct one-on-one client services. These take the form of counseling, by peers and professionals; client meetings; social gatherings, in and outside MSAA centers; an extensive equipment loan program that distributes wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, cool suits, scooters and other therapeutic paraphernalia throughout the world; free MRI testing to quickly and more accurately diagnose MS; a ramp building program; client-to-client cooperation, including visitation and 'buddy' programs; family togetherness events that help maintain the bond between MS patients and families; and various motivational programs that encourage constituents to enjoy life to the fullest possible extent and to participate as much as possible in the widest of worlds.
The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation works to provide "A Brighter Tomorrow" for those with multiple sclerosis and others affected by this illness. Founded in 1986, the MSF is the oldest national MS support organization that focuses on both complementary and conventional health care options to address the varied symptoms associated with this lifelong neurological disorder.
Through the MSF program services department, people may access valuable support services free of charge. These services include: toll-free phone support, Home Care Assisted Program, Newsletters, MS updates, networking and referral services, and much more. In addition, the MSF provides gifts for research into the cause, treatment, prevention, and eventual cure of this still mysterious illness.