ARTHRITIS PATIENT SERVICES

Our goals are to provide knowledge about arthritis and other chronic health diseases self-management skills and to provide on-going easily accessible opportunities to practice these coveted skills.

Arthritis Patient Services, dba Arthritis Services of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County is a direct service provider that specializes in teaching chronic disease symptom-management skills. The Community Arthritis (and Chronic Disease) project is a 16 year collaborative effort with the Department of Social Services-Senior Nutrition Program and The Department of Social Services-Community Resource Division.
• Our mission has been consistent throughout the years to promote health and hope for persons with arthritis and other related health conditions.

Through our collaborative work with DSS-Senior Nutrition Division and the DSS-Community Resource Division, our agency works to reduce the burden that chronic pain and dysfunction can have on some of our communities' most vulnerable citizens. Our partners determine where the needs are greatest, and we literally take our 4-12 week evidence-based programs on the road, eliminating as many barriers to participation as possible. Our purpose is to insure that many of Mecklenburg County's most vulnerable elderly arthritis and chronic disease sufferers receive quality professionally-facilitated self-management skills' education, adaptive exercise and on-going support delivered at close to home locations.

•• Our major program: The Community Arthritis/Chronic Disease Project (CACDP, 2006, 2013) is an innovative, service-intense, collaborative public health project takes evidence-based chronic disease self-management services to the people that need them the most-often inner city, or rural elderly individuals that are served through the Mecklenburg County hot lunch program. We literally send over 500 classes 'on the road'-decentralizing service delivery to 21 plus locations in Charlotte- Mecklenburg, Pineville and Mint Hill. Multiple program formats are used - 4, 6, 8, 12 week programs consisting of education and adaptive movement sessions.

2021- We work in tandem with not only the Meck. County Dept. of Social Services-Older adult Division nut also with Centralina Area Agency on Aging (AAA) to incorporate our services within their arena of services to the older adults within the 5 county area they serve. Since 1977, we have been an 501c3 organization, serving persons with all types of arthritis and chronic pain. The timing is important, as the sheer rise in the number of aging adults and the increased incidence of health conditions that will affect these persons are driving the need for more and more evidence-based programs to influence personal responsibility in the management of one's health. The numbers of older adults in NC (65 and up) in NC are expected to reach 2.5 million or 20% of the population by 2034 (NC medical Journal, Mar-April 2016). In Mecklenburg County alone, our aging population will represent one-third of our entire population (UNC-Charlotte Community Needs Assessment, 2011). Health challenges come with advancing age and it is projected that 82% of older adults will have at least one chronic health condition, and that 54% will have at least two (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2014). The sheer numbers of aging adults will have implications for our health care system and place unprecedented demands for aging services (CDC, 2009). We're going to need the aging adult to be actively engaged in the management of their health to even begin to make a dent in controlling health care costs (Status of Seniors Initiatives, 2012).

Partnering with a larger entities as mentioned above allow for the sharing of resources to extend the reach of all entities and allows us to carry out the activities of the Community Arthritis/Chronic Disease Project of Mecklenburg County. This program boasts 16 years of services to our community. We use contracted, and certified facilitators, and mostly health professionals to do the programs. This programming sends over 10,000 services into neighborhoods of need annually.

Our agency is the driving force behind the project.

Founded in 1977 by a young mother struggling with rheumatoid arthritis, Arthritis Patient Services, dba Arthritis Services is a direct service provider of professionally-facilitated arthritis self-help programs that currently serves 14 neighborhoods in our community. Our organization exists for one reason only-to provide programs and services to persons in our community who struggle with the life challenging demands of arthritis/chronic health issues. Mrs. Rodgers was way ahead of her time in recognizing that it took addressing the physical, emotional, financial and social aspects to offer real help. With steadfast leadership, the organization has maintained a very strong sense of purpose (encouraging and providing opportunities for self-management skills), visioning a healthier community by steadily and persistently creating and expanding opportunities to be in service to those with chronic illness- most of all to those persons that might otherwise not be able to afford such specialized services. Arthritis Services is the sole provider of portable on-going self-help programs for arthritis/chronic disease sufferers in Mecklenburg County. Most importantly, we have proven our programs work.

Our featured program, The Community Arthritis/Chronic Disease Project is the only public health intervention of its kind offered in Mecklenburg County to those with arthritis in hard to reach segments of the community, who otherwise might not have access to such specialized services. Specific features of this project include a 12 week (30 session) comprehensive course that includes educational sessions, adaptive exercise sessions, and ongoing support. These activities are designed to instill a “can-do" attitude among persons with the most common types of arthritis and also among those desiring prevention strategies. Other features include evidence-based modules for chronic disease management, diabetes management, osteoporosis-balance management, Tai Chi, and Fit and Strong for lower extremity osteoarthritis.

We used the Health Assessment Questionnaire as our tool of choice in the beginning to evaluate our effectiveness with patients. Data consistently shows that over 80% of persons improve in one or more health status markers that we measure and most importantly over half demonstrate improvement in pain and functioning ability.

What participants are saying…
• “I've stayed in for 5 years doing nothing since I moved here, but since coming to the arthritis classes, well, I just can't tell you how much better I feel. I have even met some friends that have connected me to a part time job. Dorothy F."
• “I was hurting all over this morning, and I didn't want to come to the class, but I did, and I feel so much better."
• “The classes have helped me with my osteoporosis and other back related concerns." (W. Thompson, USARMY veteran)
• “Shortly before coming to this class, I was unable to get up from a seated position easily. It is no longer a chore for me. I