All posts by Arthritis Foundation

california coast classic 2018

Cycling the California Coast for A Cure!

On Saturday, September 22, 2018, the Arthritis Foundation’s 18th Annual California Coast Classic Bike Tour (CCC) began their journey from San Francisco’s Pier 39. About 180 riders embarked on an 8-day, fully supported tour down the coast of California’s famous Highway 1, with stops along the way in Santa Cruz, Monterey, Big Sur, Cambria, Oceano, Buellton, Ventura and crossing the finish line in Los Angeles.

Today, Tuesday, September 25, CCC riders will be cycling 72.8-miles and making their way from Big Sur to Cambria. They will ride through Big Sur’s pine-scented forests and see jaw-dropping coastal sights all the way past Hearst Castle, over the Twin Sisters, and into Cambria.

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juvenile idiopathic arthritis pfdd announcement

PARTNERS Pediatric Learning Health System: New JIA Project Focuses on Improving Outcomes for Children

The Patients, Advocates, and Rheumatology Teams Network for Research and Service (PARTNERS) consortium was selected to receive a 2-year grant to implement a Pediatric rheumatology Learning Health System (LHS) that will work with networks in the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) PCORnet Learning Healthcare System Collaborative.

The PARTNERS Pediatric LHS will provide support for patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and their families to actively engage in care and self-management activities. JIA is a rare disease, making it difficult to study. Currently there is no cure for JIA. Recent advances in drug development have resulted in many therapies, including biologics. However, there remain many unanswered questions about how to use available therapies. While early diagnosis and initiation of treatment have proven to improve outcomes, variation exists in treatment patterns across providers, medical centers, and geographic locations.

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september planned giving

“Do I Need a Will?”

 It’s a common question: “Do I need a will?” The simple answer is: Yes. Without a properly drawn will, the state in which you reside determines how your assets are distributed, including who will take care of your minor children. The only way for your wishes to be carried out after you are gone is through a properly executed will that is recognized as valid in your state.

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conference of champions

2018 Live Yes! Conference of Champions

Building Momentum for the Arthritis Movement

Bringing people with arthritis together has been an Arthritis Foundation specialty for 70 years. Helping them make connections with each other and with the experts and resources they need can change their lives.

This November, we’ll renew our promise to empower people with arthritis to live their best life at the 2018 Live Yes! Conference of Champions. Hundreds of Arthritis Foundation staff members, passionate volunteers and generous partners from around the country will descend on Baltimore to focus on “The Power of Connections.”

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arthritis pain awareness

Open Letter to America from the Arthritis Foundation About Pain

Arthritis is painful … and it’s relentless. The Arthritis Foundation knows the pain our community endures. Based on a survey of arthritis patients, we know that:

  • The #1 goal of arthritis treatment is to “reduce pain.”
  • The #1 motivator for seeking out information is “I experienced pain.”

Pain is not an easy topic to discuss, but if we bring it out of the shadows, we believe the result will be eye-opening for everyone – and uplifting in mind, body and soul for the 54 million Americans who suffer from arthritis pain. The Arthritis Foundation is advancing a national conversation about the true pain – physical and emotional – that arthritis causes.

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arthritis clinical trials

Arthritis-Specific Clinical Trials, at Your Fingertips

Clinical trials are an important step in testing the effects of new treatments on health outcomes. Did you know that one of the most challenging aspects of the drug approval process is finding people to take part in clinical trial studies? It’s true, and we believe one of those reasons is because patients don’t know what is available to them. That’s why we’ve created an easy-to-use search tool– the Arthritis Trial Finder – so you can easily find clinical trials that meet your needs!

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champion of yes planned giving

Keeping Promises: Sam’s Story

Most Arthritis Foundation donors want to make the greatest impact on the arthritis community through their current and future giving. However, some feel that family responsibilities limit their ability to give. This video shares the story of how Sam, with proper, thoughtful planning, was able to keep an important promise while making a gift to charity more powerful than he imagined.

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rheumatology funding

Closing the Gap on the Nation’s Rheumatologist Shortage

Many of us know that access to care isn’t always a guarantee. All too often, seeing a rheumatologist includes traveling out of state because of the severe rheumatologist shortage. Last year we committed to closing this gap by offering Fellowship grants to universities in underserved areas. After careful consideration, we recently selected five schools to receive fellowship grants to help doctors advance in this specialty field. The institutions were offered $150,000 to launch new slots for established fellowship programs.

We are thrilled to be able to offer these awards because of the impact the newly funded positions will have on their communities. Executive Director Kelsey Woods told us this of the grant given to a school in her area, “The University of Washington has long been a partner of the Arthritis Foundation in the fight to both control and cure this debilitating disease. We are so proud to continue to fund a rheumatology fellowship right here in Seattle at the UW. Healthcare access is and must continue to be a top priority in the region, and this investment is confirmation that we will continue to fight for that.”

Three adult and two pediatric rheumatology fellowships have been offered and accepted by the follow programs:

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