As one of the national awardees for the CDC Arthritis Program’s “National Advancing Arthritis Public Health Approaches through National Organizations” cooperative agreement, NACDD continues to work with partners and subcontractors to increase awareness and participation in arthritis-appropriate, evidence-based interventions. Main components include working to increase access to arthritis self-management interventions in worksites and physical activity interventions through the Walk With Ease Self-Directed Funding Support Opportunity. As of September 29, 2018, NACDD has provided mini grants to the following recipients:
American Physical Therapy Association Affiliate Chapters
- Illinois Physical Therapy Association/Illinois Physical Therapy Foundation; Naperville, IL
- Iowa Physical Therapy Association; Des Moines, Iowa
- Oregon Physical Therapy Association/Pacific University Physical Therapy Clinic; Portland, Oregon
Hospitals (Wellness Center)
- Merrick Medical Center; Central City, Nebraska
Physical Therapy Clinics
- Community Health Partners; West Des Moines, Iowa
- Trilogy, a Medically Oriented Gym; Grand Island, New York
- Vertex Physical Therapy; Columbia, South Carolina
During NACDD’s last five-year cooperative agreement with the CDC Arthritis Program and working in partnership with Westat, Inc., the CDC Arthritis Program and NACDD surveyed 841 physical therapists and learned physical therapists are willing to recommend arthritis-appropriate, evidence-based programs in the community either during therapy and at discharge. CDC, NACDD and the American Physical Therapy Association, American Chronic Pain Association and Westat, Inc. used responses to creation of a toolkit of informational flyers and decision aids now available online at apta.org/Arthritis and moveforwardpt.com.
The Toolkit includes an overview fact sheet presenting the value for arthritis-appropriate, evidence-based programs, six program fact sheets designed to provide information of importance to physical therapists, six program fact sheets PTs can distribute to patients, and a decision aid PTs can use to find an appropriate intervention to refer to patients. The toolkit is free for use by anyone interested in increasing awareness and participation in the identified interventions.
According to CDC, arthritis remains as one of the nation’s most common causes of disability. As a significant public health issue, NACDD continues efforts to provide technical support, funding and connections enabling parties interested in working to connect adults to arthritis-appropriate interventions and help improve the quality of life for people living with arthritis or limited mobility.
For more information about the NACDD Arthritis programs, contact Heather Murphy NACDD Arthritis Lead.