ACR Outreach

This page houses more information about the projects the ACR is working on with other organizations, to better inform the medical community, the Legislature, and the public about the importance of rheumatology and the impact of rheumatic diseases.

May is National Arthritis Awareness Month: Resources Available from the American College of Rheumatology

The American College of Rheumatology is committed to helping its members (rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals) provide the best quality of care for their patients. The College has pulled together the following National Arthritis Awareness Month resources regarding rheumatic diseases to help you as you navigate your treatment and life after diagnosis. Read more.

HHS Office of Women’s Health National Lupus Awareness Campaign: “Could I Have Lupus?”

The ACR is pleased to announce its involvement as a collaborating partner on the HHS Office of Women’s Health national lupus awareness campaign. The goal of the campaign is to raise public awareness to improve early diagnosis and treatment among those who are at increased risk for the disease. The campaign is targeted toward young minority women and will provide them with information to help them take action if they have symptoms. Read more.

U.S. Bone & Joint Decade

The ACR is a member of the USBJD, whose mission is to provide national leadership and coordination of activities in the United States in the worldwide movement to improve patient care, to promote research and to advance understanding and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions during the International Bone and Joint Decade (2002-2011). For more information, visit www.usbjd.org.

Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS)

The vision of FOCIS is to bring clinical immunologists from a variety of disciplines together to learn and share ideas about research and treatment of immune-mediated diseases. The ACR is a society member of FOCIS therefore, we have a representative on the FOCIS Steering Committee, whose responsibilities include planning the FOCIS annual meeting. For more information, visit www.focisnet.org.

OMERACT

An ACR representative attends biannual OMERACT meetings. Dedicated to Outcome Measures in Rheumatology, OMERACT was formed in 1992 in The Netherlands. Since then, the OMERACT initiative has turned into an international informal network of working groups and gatherings interested in outcome measurement across the spectrum of rheumatology intervention studies. For more information, visit www.omeract.org.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance brings together America's pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that's right for them. Many will get them free or nearly free. The ACR is one of many organizations collaborating on this program. Visit www.pparx.org for more information, or to access the Partnership for Prescription Assistance by phone, you can call toll-free, 1-888-4PPA-NOW
(1-888-477-2669).

Autoimmune Disease Coordinating Committee (ADCC)

The NIH established the ADCC in 1998, under the direction of the NIAID, to facilitate collaboration among NIH components, other Federal agencies, and private organizations with an interest in autoimmune diseases. The
Chair of the ACR Committee on Research participates in the ADCC efforts.

Lupus Federal Working Group

Recently established by the NIH, to facilitate collaboration among NIH components, other Federal agencies, and private organizations with an interest in lupus. The COR chair has participated in the group’s efforts.

Making the Link: Connecting Caregivers with Services through Physicians

The American College of Rheumatology participates on the Advisory Board of Making the Link, a project of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), supported in part by the U.S. Administration on Aging. Making the Link helps rheumatologists assist family caregivers across the country. Through Making the Link, physicians and their staffs learn about valuable services in their community that are available to family caregivers. These services are made possible by the National Family Caregiver Support Program and provided by local Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and Title VI - Native American aging programs. Learn how you can participate in Making the Link by visiting www.n4a.org/makingthelink.cfm or contacting Adrienne Dern, n4a Project Director at (202) 872-0888 or .

Grants & Awards

The ACR Research and Education Foundation partners with several organizations to develop research and training awards that further the development of rheumatic care. Visit the REF for more information.

Quality Issues

The ACR is enthusiastic about working with other organizations in the area of quality achievement in healthcare. Learn More