Arthritis Action Plan

XIII. Appendix C: Progress and Accomplishments

Note: those activities indicated below with an asterisk (*) were identified by Coalition members as prototypes for action, or short-term goals. If successfully implemented, they will become demonstration models for certain goals and objectives found in Section IX of the Plan.

1. Health Communications Subcommittee

  • The Arthritis Program Manager, sponsored by the CDC, attended a Social Marketing Conference held by the University of South Florida in June 2002.
  • The Healthy State Wellness Newsletter, a production of the NYS Education Department, published an article on arthritis in its July 2002 newsletter, which can be found online at www.healthystate.org.
  • In October/November 2002, an article on arthritis was written and published in the Fulton County Office for the Aging Newsletter. (*)
  • In February 2003 a pilot survey of information and education needs of patients in rheumatology practices was conducted. This effort was led by the SUNY Upstate Medical Center, together with the Central New York Arthritis Foundation Chapter and the NYS Arthritis Program. The findings will provide the content for arthritis information brochures to be developed and distributed through "Rheumatology Information Boxes" placed in physician offices throughout the state. (*)
  • The Capital District Physicians Health Plan (CDPHP), a large HMO in the Capital Region with membership throughout 24 counties of the state, published an article on arthritis in its member and provider newsletter in the fall of 2002.
  • The Arthritis Foundation's Sports Injury Prevention Tip Sheet was sent to 170 school-based providers as a result of collaboration with the NYS DOH Bureau of Child and Adolescent Health in June 2002.
  • An Internet web site presence has been developed for the Arthritis Program and premiered on the DOH Web site recently. It is based upon the Arthritis Information Sheet. In the future, it will expand to include more recent BRFSS data, information about the Arthritis Self-Help Course, and the work of the Arthritis Coalition and its Work Group.
  • An arthritis article was published in the January 2003 Medicaid Update, a monthly publication sponsored by the Office of Medicaid Management and is distributed to all Medicaid providers throughout the state.
  • The NYS DOH Arthritis Program implemented the newly developed CDC physical activity campaign called "Physical Activity: the Arthritis Pain Reliever" in Delaware and Broome counties in the spring of 2003. This campaign included a public service announcement for radio and brochures for countertop/point of purchase displays and other forms of dissemination to the general public. (*)
  • An Arthritis Program logo and acronym were developed in September 2002. The acronym is BASIC, standing for "Being Active Supports Independence and Control." These two identifiers will be used in printed and other media messages to establish name recognition consistent with marketing communication concepts.
  • The Arthritis Program presented a T2B2 (Third Thursday Breakfast Broadcast) in May 2003. T2B2 is a production of the SUNY School of Public Health Continuing Education Program. It is a monthly satellite broadcast designed for public health and human service professionals throughout the state. In the broadcast, two presenters, a rheumatologist and an Arthritis Foundation representative addressed the diseases that encompass arthritis and provided a brief overview of the Foundation's programs.

2. Partnership/Linkages Subcommittee

  • The Arthritis Program Manager attended the Women's Health Expo at Grand Central Station in the spring of 2002. Contacts with potential coalition partners were established.
  • Connections were also made within the NYS DOH Office of Rural Health. In Delaware, Otswego, Montgomery, and Schoharie counties, the Rural Health Education Network produces two radio shows. The Network is willing to host and coordinate an arthritis presentation with the Arthritis Program in the spring of 2004. The Legislative Commission on Rural Resources provided the Arthritis Program with a mailing list of rural health networks throughout the state and provided contact information for the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) in the state. The NYS Association for Rural Health sponsored a fall conference and asked the Arthritis Program to present an exhibit for the event, which was held in November 2002.
  • In Spring 2003, the Samaritan Medical Center in collaboration with Central NY Arthritis Foundation chapter trained the physical therapists from Watertown and surrounding area communities as ASHC leaders. ASHC will follow in late spring/early summer. (*)
  • Suffolk County Office for the aging, Retired Senior Volunteer Program and the Arthritis Foundation in cooperation with the NYS Arthritis Program will offer ASHC programs in the county in late spring/early summer 2003. (*)
  • Cooperative efforts with the Northern New England chapter of the Arthritis Foundation are in progress within a tri county area (Clinton, Essex and Franklin). The goal is to identify the number of community programs that specifically address arthritis symptoms (i.e. ASHC, PACE, Aquatics) and begin to develop resources to fill in the gaps that are found. (*)
  • CDC funds have been secured by the University of Albany School of Public Health to conduct research on how to most effectively promote physical activity among people with arthritis. (*)

3. State Plan Subcommittee

  • Revision and expansion of the Needs Assessment for use with other partners such as the New York State Nurses Association was completed and will be disseminated throughout the state for a wider survey.
  • A "draft" of the Arthritis State Plan was developed for the original grant application. Members of the State Plan Subcommittee of the Arthritis Coalition have reviewed that document. Their suggestions have been incorporated into the final Arthritis State Plan document.

4. Other Arthritis Program Accomplishments

  • An "Arthritis Information Sheet" was developed in April 2002.
  • A press release from the Governor's Office regarding the NYS Arthritis Program was distributed on April 16, 2002 and is included at the end of this Plan in the Appendix.
  • The NYS DOH Summer 2002 "Media Advisory Packet" contained a variety of arthritis information materials. The packet is typically distributed to public health officials, medical centers, HMOs, special interest groups, and school nurses across the state.
  • The Arthritis Work Group finalized a Mission Statement for the Arthritis Program. The mission statement will be incorporated into Arthritis Program materials as they are produced, including the Arthritis State Plan.
  • The Arthritis Program, along with the Arthritis Foundation chapters of Central NY and NYC , presented an introduction of the state program and an overview of the programs and services offered by the Arthritis Foundation, to staff from the Regional DOH offices located in Syracuse and Manhattan in 2002.
  • The Arthritis Program Manager actively participates in the Aging Prepared Communities Forum funded through a Hartford Foundation grant to the New York State Office for the Aging and to the University at Albany School of Social Welfare. This is a significant endeavor to develop and implement a plan to create an exemplary, " aging prepared " community environment in the Capital District region.
  • The Arthritis Program, in conjunction with the Central NY chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, promoted the Arthritis Self -Help Course and Arthritis Fast Facts at the 2002 New York State Fair. More than 1 million people attended the State Fair last year.
  • An arthritis brochure was developed to answer the frequently asked questions (FAQs) about arthritis in January 2003. This brochure is written for people with arthritis, their caregivers and health professionals.

The Mission for the Arthritis Program in The State of New York is to maximize The quality of life for New Yorkers who suffer from arthritis and its related diseases.

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