Federal Leaders Address Government Response To Juvenile Arthritis

Main Category: Arthritis / Rheumatology
Also Included In: Bones / Orthopedics
Article Date: 17 Jul 2006 - 1:00 PDT

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Seeking to address the complex and life- altering challenges of juvenile arthritis, national political, medical research and public health leaders will focus on the issue at a special town hall meeting during the upcoming Arthritis Foundation Juvenile Arthritis Conference in Atlanta on July 15, 2006.

In a unique juvenile arthritis state of the union address, federal leaders will discuss legislation, healthcare policy, research and other issues of vital importance to children and their families. Invited guests include:

- The Honorable Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) - United States Senator - Leading the fight against juvenile arthritis in Congress

- Julie L. Gerberding, M.D., MPH - Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

- The public health response to childhood arthritis

- Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D. - Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health.

- The future of juvenile arthritis research

- Denise Dougherty, Ph.D. - Senior Advisor, Child Health and Quality

- Improvement, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) - Quality care for children with arthritis

- Emily Smith - 14-year-old with juvenile arthritis

- Janalee Taylor, MSN, RN, CNS - Chair, Arthritis Foundation American Juvenile Arthritis Organization

- John H. Klippel, M.D. - President and CEO, Arthritis Foundation

- "This is the first time officials from federal agencies are coming together to focus on juvenile arthritis and how to help kids with the disease," said John H. Klippel, M.D., president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation.

The future outlook is both positive and negative. Challenges include: - Delays in diagnosis and treatment due to a shortage of board certified pediatric rheumatologists in the United States - there are only 200. - Limited research funding -- on average only $40 per child is currently spent on juvenile arthritis research.

On the positive side:

- The new generation of medications and treatment strategies are limiting the destructive impact of juvenile arthritis.

- New treatment strategies that call for immediate and aggressive treatment are being found to slow or stop the damage to a child's body and joints.

Juvenile arthritis affects 300,000 children and is devastating to children and families. In some cases it can cause deformity, blindness and even death. "Bringing together federal leaders to address this important issue is one of the first steps in helping prevent and control juvenile arthritis," said Klippel.

The Arthritis Foundation juvenile arthritis town hall meeting will take place on Saturday, July 15, from 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in downtown Atlanta.

The Arthritis Foundation is the only nationwide, not-for-profit health organization helping people take greater control of arthritis by leading efforts to prevent, control and cure arthritis and related diseases -- the nation's number one cause of disability. For free information, contact the Arthritis Foundation at 800-568-4045 or on the Web at http://www.arthritis.org.

Arthritis Foundation
http://www.arthritis.org/

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