With one in five Americans living with mental illness, the Kennedy Forum believed it was critical that mental health reform took prominence in policy discussions during the 2020 election season. The Kennedy Forum sought CURA’s support in building a movement that would bring mental health and addiction reform to the forefront of national policy talks.

At the height of the opioid epidemic, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) was an undervalued tool, misunderstood by policymakers in Congress and at HHS. CURA Strategies designed and operationalized Advocates for Opioid Recovery (AOR) to help break down legislative, insurance, legal and regulatory barriers to evidence-based recovery from opioid use disorder.

Nearly 50% of Americans are unaware that radiation therapy (RT) can cure cancer, and the media isn’t helping. Sensationalized coverage continues to fuel fear around viable treatment options.

In partnership with the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), CURA built a branded awareness campaign to change negative perception of radiation therapy. Centered around honest, balanced perspectives of cancer survivors and radiation oncologists, the campaign challenged misconceptions and raised awareness of the curative potential of radiation therapy.

Despite growing awareness of the opioid crisis, addiction and recovery remain highly stigmatized—

impacting those in recovery along with their support networks. Mobilize Recovery sought CURA’s support in launching a first-of-its-kind national service campaign that would break down stigma, build connections and showcase the power of the recovery community as changemakers through acts of volunteerism.

As the largest private funder of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) research in the U.S., the PKD Foundation supports education, advocacy and awareness of PKD, a chronic, genetic condition that often leads to renal failure.

Over the last six years, CURA has worked with the PKD Foundation to implement a comprehensive advocacy strategy that connects and engages key stakeholders to promote a clear set of legislative priorities in Washington, D.C.

CURA helped CareDx, a leader in advanced transplant diagnostics, successfully push for the 2020 passage of a bill that languished for 16 years — the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage For Kidney Transplant Patients Act.

After that success, CareDx engaged CURA to help communicate the value of their tests to payers, whose private coverage lagged behind that of Medicare. In 2023, a private Medicare contractor proposed severely restricting coverage. Developed without transplant community input, the policy created confusion and threatened patient access to critical tools across the entirety of Medicare.

New scientific advances and regulatory flexibility sparked a wave of innovation in rare kidney disease, which had seen no new treatments in 80 years. Travere Therapeutics engaged CURA for several projects over the last five years to educate public and private policymakers and influencers. Through stakeholder roundtables, consensus reports, Hill events and issue briefs, CURA has helped champion the New Era of Preventing End-Stage Kidney Disease Act.

An estimated 35,000 patients in the United States are born with a single ventricle — one of the most complex heart defects. Currently, there are no FDA-approved therapies available for this patient population. Mezzion is conducting a Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate whether its treatment can preserve and extend cardiac function. CURA has partnered with Mezzion to elevate their presence in the congenital heart disease community to strengthen their credibility and accelerate trial recruitment.

Mamatoto Village, a D.C.-based maternal health nonprofit, needed help raising its national profile to match the impact of its community-based care model.

While the organization was deeply trusted locally, it was under-recognized at the national level. CURA was brought on to shape a media strategy that would elevate Mamatoto as a leading voice in Black maternal health and position it as a model for other birthing centers.

The Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition and Diabetes Leadership Council unite patients, employers, policymakers and the broader diabetes community to influence policies that protect patients. Despite their meaningful work for the chronic disease community, recognition of their brand, leaders and initiatives remained low. 

DPAC and DLC partnered with CURA to curate and elevate their brands among policymakers and patients.