Washington, D.C. – Friday, July 17, 2009 – Women In Government (WIG) launches the new Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Policy Resource Center today. The Policy Resource Center is dedicated to connecting female state legislators to policy resources related to promoting the early detection and treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. The Policy Resource Center supports state legislator efforts to advance policy with model legislation and educational materials.
“The Rheumatoid Arthritis Policy Resource Center allows Women In Government to meet the needs of our legislative members. With the number of individuals diagnosed with arthritis expected to increase in the coming years, state legislators are beginning to take a closer look at the needs of this population” said Mary Brooks Beatty, President of Women In Government. “Through the RA Policy Resource Center we hope to encourage state legislators to promote policy aimed at increasing awareness and promoting the early diagnosis and treatment of RA.”
The Resource Center aims to stimulate legislative interest and action in RA and arthritis-related issues and encourages policy makers to sponsor and co-sponsor legislation in their own states. The RA toolkit includes: extensive background materials, policy recommendations, and sample legislation. We have included our own materials as well as information from authorities in Rheumatoid Arthritis including agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Arthritis Foundation and the Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, we sought to be as comprehensive as possible by addressing both Rheumatoid Arthritis and other arthritic conditions. The resounding message is that early detection is the best way to turn the tide against Rheumatoid Arthritis, which could positively impact states’ rapidly escalating healthcare costs.
The focus of the RA Policy Resource Center is the 1.2 million Americans affected with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and their families. RA is an auto-immune disease which has no known definitive cause; though it is thought that genes, hormones and perhaps the environment play a role in its onset. Progression of the disease often leads to joint deformity and loss of function, which may occur within one to two years of disease onset. Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions are the most common cause of disability in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The RA Policy Resource Center can be accessed from the Women In Government homepage, http://www.womeningovernment.org, or directly from http://www.womeningovernment.org/ra.
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2001). “Prevalence of Disabilities and Associated Health Conditions Among Adults --- United States, 1999.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2001 February 23; 50(07):120-5.
