ESC is advocating for you! See our advocacy strategy in action

ESC is advocating for you! We are working tirelessly to advocate for patients and caregivers to improve the lives of Canadians living with eczema. ESC’s advocacy strategy is focused on three pillars: (1) education and awareness, (2) healthcare and treatment access, and (3) research.

We have been raising awareness and impacting decision-making across Canada to further understanding of the burden of eczema, and improve both care and access to treatments.

ESC has connected with stakeholders and agencies to accomplish our goals.

These actions include collaborations and outreach, including:

National awareness month campaign

• Each November, ESC raises awareness about eczema, and this November, ESC is #ShiningALightonEczema with our national awareness month campaign.
• Monuments across Canada will be lit up blue in honour of Eczema Awareness Month to help bring attention to our condition and community. The campaign is aimed at reducing the stigma around eczema, increasing awareness about the impact of living with the condition, and asking decision-makers to improve access to care and treatments.
• We are sharing patient stories and data around the impact of eczema with communications and media outreach.

Government awareness

• We share awareness campaigns with Ministers of Health to illuminate patient data and stories to help decision-makers understand the burdens and unmet needs of eczema patients.
• We provide pre-budget submissions to provinces to ask for atopic dermatitis care and treatments be included in their health care budget planning.

Health technology assessment

• We generate patient input submissions to the Canadian Drug Agency (CDA-AMC) for new therapies under review, providing both qualitative and quantitative data from the patient community.
• We meet with the Canadian Drug Agency (CDA-AMC) to share the burden of patients and the unmet needs in our patient population, highlighting our concern with negative recommendations for the reimbursement of innovative medicines.
• We provide provincial-level input submissions to provinces across Canada for drug reimbursement reviews and also provide feedback on recommendations and criteria.
• We create patient input submissions and provide input to the Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux (INESSS) for new therapies under review for the province of Quebec.

Public payers – provincial and territorial drug plans

• ESC shares our Eczema Awareness Month messaging to share the burden of the condition and the needs of patients with decision-makers.
• We provide input and feedback from patients and health care providers on reimbursement criteria to ensure they are fair and safe for patients.
• ESC advocates for equitable access to therapies across provinces, territories, and jurisdictions.
• ESC joins meetings with Non-Insured Health Benefits for First Nations and Inuit (NIHB) in collaboration with ESC medical contributor Dr. Rachel Asiniwasis, to raise awareness about the eczema crisis in rural communities and advocate for Indigenous patient access to therapies and emollients for improved management of eczema.

Private payers – insurance providers

• ESC provides input to private payers (insurance providers) to better understand the impact of eczema on workers, including work productivity and work absenteeism.
• We share Eczema Awareness Month messaging to share the burden of the condition and the needs of patients.

Collaborations with advocacy organizations

• ESC is a member of the Best Medicines Coalition (BMC) in Canada, an organization dedicated to seeking timely access to medicines for patients in need, including those in the eczema community.
• ESC is a member of Medicines Access Coalition BC, working to advocate for improved equity for access to medications for patients in the province of British Columbia.

Medical association collaboration

• ESC has collaborated with Canadian Dermatology Association to align the concerns of its members with the concerns of patients and caregivers.

Global awareness

• As a member of Global Skin, ESC is proud that Global Skin is proposing a resolution at the World Health Organization, recommending the World Health Assembly Skin Diseases Resolution that would prioritize skin health as a global public health issue.

Want to get involved with ESC and raise your voice? You can share your story and help to make a difference. Contact us and join our mission.

May 2025