CCSG
Services
Public Meetings
Four times a year the CCSG invites it's members and the general public to attend a meeting at which guest speakers (usually medically qualified) talk to those present about some aspect of IBD. Meetings take one of three formats: SEMINAR, OPEN FORUM (no specific topic) or GROUP DISCUSSION (2 or more invited guests in attendance). Meetings are advertised in the local newspapers and via the CCSG Newsletter.
See here for the archived reports
from previous meetings.
CCSG News
The quarterly newsletter of the CCSG includes:
- Reports from CCSG Public Meetings
- The latest research findings
- Diet and nutrition information
- Invited articles from NZ's leading specialists
- Full details of the CCSG Library
- Book reviews
- Selected articles from overseas organisations
Gut Feeling
This is the title of the new CCSG national newsletter which
will be sent to all CCSG members starting with the first issue
in October 1999. To be sent out 3 times per year, this newsletter
will contain information about activities from all the CCSGs.
The CCSG Library
This is a collection of specialist books from all over the world. Topics covered include:
- Basic medical information (drugs, surgery)
- patient coping strategies
- information for parents and children
- Diet and Nutrition
- Medical terms explained
The Community Contact Service
This service matches people who request this service to volunteers
with the same condition as well as similar experience. Contacts
can be face-to-face in-home or hospital, or by telephone. Members
who volunteer to be part of this service receive a Contact Service
Booklet which contains relevant information about the CCSG, basic
anatomy, and various important telephone numbers.
The National Australian & New Zealand IBD Family Register
Research Project
The objective of the Australian and NZ IBD Family Register project
is to collect information and DNA from families in whom multiple
individuals have been diagnosed as suffering from one of the
forms of IBD. Subsequent research aims to identify causative
genes for IBD, then to understand how these genes influence disease
processes at the cellular level: the ultimate goal is to prevent
or cure these conditions. There may be the added benefit of providing
better diagnostic tests.
This effort involves collaborations at both the national and
the international level. More than 260 Australian and New Zealand
families are participating in the project.
Medical Database and Internet
The CCSG has access to a commercial medical database for the purpose of answering members questions as well as sourcing additional information about research topics, such as the recent advances in genetic markers for Crohn's disease and the stage of development of new drug therapies. Questions from members can also be posted to internet newsgroups as well as specialist medical forums such as that operated by the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America via the World Wide Web.
NZ and Overseas Organisations
The CCSG has 6 branches in NZ. There are IBD support organisations
in many other countries. A list of these can be found here.