LADN: Healthcare & Hope for Dysautonomia Patients

Health care access

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Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Most people trust their body to regulate their heart rate, digestion, temperature and other automatic functions. But with autonomic nervous system disorders (dysautonomia), the body’s control system goes haywire, leaving patients constantly struggling. Dysautonomia causes symptoms like cognitive impairment, blood pressure irregularities, tachycardia, mobility challenges, and digestive dysfunction. Causes include autoimmunity, viruses, trauma, and genetics. ~1.2 Million Californians have dysautonomia from Long Covid alone (Am.J.Med.,CDC).
Dysautonomia varies, and many patients experience significant disability. 55% of LADN patients surveyed in 2025 reported being too ill to work. Treatment is expensive and complicated. Patients are too often forced to forgo healthcare or rack up medical debt. Dysautonomia patients typically endure years of searching for a diagnosis, and, even then, treatment outcomes are heavily influenced by a patient’s education and ability to advocate for themselves.

This grant will support the expansion of LADN’s Education and Healthcare Access Programs.
There is no dedicated treatment plan for dysautonomia, leaving patients and doctors struggling to compile off-label medical and lifestyle treatments and placing a huge burden on both patients and practitioners. LADN’s Education Program gathers the knowledge of experts and those with lived experience to empower patients, caregivers, and medical practitioners. This includes workshops with experts in medical research, nutrition, physical therapy, psychology, disability law, and personal finance.
LADN’s Healthcare Access Program provides grants for low-income patients to afford dysautonomia-related medical care. 55% of LADN patients surveyed reported being unable to work due to their illness, creating obstacles to affording medical care and basic needs as well as increasing the mental health burden. The average income for 2024 recipients was $16k. The average spent annually on dysautonomia healthcare was $10k. Maya, a grantee, said “To be disabled in America is a constant battle against poverty, appropriate healthcare, and accessibility. LADN understands these hardships, and I’m immensely grateful for their work to alleviate the financial burden so many of us face.”
As the only dysautonomia organization on the west coast and the sole provider of financial support for medical care specific to this condition, LADN fills a critical gap in the broader ecosystem of women’s health initiatives.

LADN envisions a world where all teens, adults, and caregivers dealing with dysautonomia have the help and support from their community that they deserve and where no one has to face this complex illness alone and without answers. With the education and support from LADN, patients can learn about their complex disorder, share educational resources with family and providers, and develop the skills and fortitude to tackle their medical journey within a supportive community.
Becky, a patient, shared, “Finding LADN truly changed my life, offering me resources and education to become a better advocate for myself in a medical setting. LADN didn’t just give me hope – they gave me a community and tools to improve my quality of life.” These resources and education should be available to all. A patient’s health outcomes should not be dictated by their financial assets or the limits of their own personal education. LADN hopes to one day welcome patients to an in-person community center in LA.