Alzheimer’s Disease Highlighted on New Stamp

2008 Stamp Latest Addition to Postal Service Social Awareness Stamp Series

Who:
Joshua D. Colin, District Manager, Columbus District, U.S. Postal Service
Michelle Chippas, Executive Director & CEO Alzheimer's Association,
Central Ohio Chapter
Trent Clark, USPS Safety Specialist and former Alzheimer’s patient caregiver

What:
Unveiling of the Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Stamp

When:
10:00 a.m.
October 17, 2008

Where:
Main Post Office
850 Twin Rivers Drive
Columbus, OH 43216

Background:
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. Every 71 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer's disease. For these individuals and their families, the significance of this moment cannot be underestimated as it marks the beginning of a devastating descent into memory loss. In Ohio alone, there are currently 200,000 Alzheimer’s patients. That number is expected to grow 15 percent to 230,000 by the year 2010. Alzheimer’s is now the sixth leading cause of death in America. To bring attention to the escalating epidemic and to draw attention to the caregiver, the Columbus Postal Service and the Alzheimer’s Association, Central Ohio Chapter, are joining forces to use the launch of the new stamp to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s. Interaction with the caregiver means everything to a person living with Alzheimer’s. For the stamp image, art director Ethel Kessler worked with illustrator Matt Mahurin to draw attention to the importance of caregivers in the lives of those living with the disease. The Alzheimer’s Awareness commemorative stamp continues the Postal Service tradition of raising public awareness of health and social issues through its stamp program. Recent stamps have highlighted important issues such as literacy, hospice care, breast cancer awareness, AIDS awareness, organ and tissue donation, philanthropy and in the case of the Breast Cancer Research stamp, helped raise funds for research. Since the mid 1950s, the Postal Service has released a variety of social awareness stamp on important issues such as Sickle Cell disease, Mentoring, Organ and Tissue Donation, Adoption, Amber Alert and Jury Duty.

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