Top Health Care Advocate Takes Lead Role Representing the Patient Community in California

Sacramento, CA (PRWeb) December 13, 2006 -- Perry Communications Group, Inc. (PCG) is pleased to announce that Liz Helms, Director of Advocacy & Outreach, is taking on a full-time role as President and CEO of the TMJ and Orofacial Pain Society of America (TOPS America).

This transition allows Ms. Helms and TOPS America to fulfill a request by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger' Office to catalyze the patient advocacy community and support health care reform. To that end, Ms. Helms is organizing a roundtable to coalesce expertise from various chronic disease and health care reform organizations.

"Liz's transition to full-time nonprofit advocacy work is long overdue. She has been a driving force within our grassroots advocacy campaigns here at the firm and has trained our staff in the fine art of patient and health care advocacy," said Kassy Perry, President and CEO of Perry Communications Group. "She leaves us well positioned to continue advocacy work for our clients, and we look forward to working closely with her in her new capacity."

Ms. Helms founded the TMJ Society of California in 1994, and in 2004 the organization was renamed the TMJ and Orofacial Pain Society of America as it expanded from a statewide organization into a presence serving patients nationwide. She also holds an appointment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a patient representative reviewing TMJ medical devices and as an advisor to the TMJ registry, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded project.

Perry Communications Group will continue to be the public relations firm on record for TOPS America, providing strategic counsel and public affairs support.

"My passion has always been to help those who suffer from TMJ and orofacial pain as well as to enhance the quality of health care for all Californians," said Liz Helms, President and CEO of the TMJ and Orofacial Pain Society of America. "This is a great opportunity to work with health care advocacy organizations throughout California to ensure that patients have a strong voice in what Governor Schwarzenegger is promising to be 'the year of health care'."

About TMJ and Orofacial Pain Society of America

Founded in May of 1994, the TMJ and Orofacial Pain Society of America (a 501c3 organization) is the leading voice of advocacy nationwide for those who suffer from the many faces of "TMD" - temporomandibular (joint) disorders. The TMJ Society of America is dedicated to providing information on temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) to patients, professionals, and the public. The Society offers support to those who suffer from TMJ-related pain and dysfunction, and advocates for basic and applied scientific research that will reveal the causes and provide appropriate treatment of these complex problems. For more information, visit TOPS America at http://www.tmjsociety.org or call (916) 444-1985.

About Perry Communications Group
Perry Communications Group, Defining Tomorrow's Issues TodaySM, with offices in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., specializes in public affairs, issues management, media relations and coalition building. Since 1996, the firm has created nationally recognized campaigns tackling some of the most pressing issues facing society including Medicare, public health, housing, the environment, access to prescription medicines, cancer and mental health. For more information, visit PCG at http://www.perrycom.com or call (916) 658-0144.

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