Arthritis Success Stories
ARTHRITIS
SUCCESSES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPANDING PROGRAM REACH
AND IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE
2009
Success Stories
Florida: Strategies to Alleviate Health Disparities
Michigan: Partners on the PATH to Integrate
and Reach Diverse Populations
Chronic Disease Programs Statewide
Modern medical knowledge and technology have greatly
In late 2005, Michigan Partners on the PATH (MI-PATH)
improved our nation’s overall health. However, not all people
began as a collaborative effort to implement evidence-based
have benefited equally. Some racial and ethnic groups continue
interventions to address chronic diseases, including arthritis.
to experience persistent and escalating health disparities.
Partners include the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging,
Individuals in these groups face many barriers to getting
the Michigan State University Extension, and the Michigan
medical care and staying healthy.
Department of Community Health (MDCH).
Cuídate is Spanish for “take care of yourself.” Cuídate is also
PATH (Personal Action Toward Health) is Michigan’s name
a collaborative initiative designed to improve the health
for Stanford University’s Chronic Disease Self-Management
of Hispanics living in Florida by promoting good health prac-
Program, an evidence-based intervention CDC recommends
tices and linking residents with community resources, such
for people with arthritis. PATH teaches self-management skills
as self-management classes and low-cost clinics. It is funded
to people with arthritis, as well as to those with other chronic
by Florida Hospital’s Community Health Impact Council.
diseases, such as asthma, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic
Cuídate is offered in collaboration with the Central Florida
lung diseases.
Partnership on Health Disparities, a broad network of organiza-
tions in central Florida that serve and represent ethnic and racial
groups in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Brevard counties.
CDC Funding for State Arthritis Programs
Many partners support the initiative by providing materials,
Fiscal Year 2008
training, and funding. For example, the Arthritis Prevention
and Education Program and the Heart Disease and Stroke
Prevention Program in the Florida Department of Health
provide educational materials for self-management workshops
and facilitator trainings. The Centers for Health Futures at
Florida Hospital trains leaders from other organizations, and the
Arthritis Prevention and Education Program provides financial
assistance for master-level training.
These collaborative efforts allow organizations to embed chronic
disease self-management programs into health delivery systems
throughout Florida, which helps the state build a sustainable
infrastructure for future programs. The Heart of Apopka Project,
Funded States
for example, is working to reach at least 10,000 people with its
Not Funded States
self-management programs, which are in Spanish and English.
MI-PATH now has more than 40 partner organizations, includ-
ing the Arthritis Foundation Michigan Chapter, the National
State Programs in Action: Minnesota
Kidney Foundation of Michigan, the Healthy Asian Americans
Project, Medical Network One, the Michigan State University
The Minnesota Arthritis Program is partnering with
College of Nursing, the Health Alliance Plan, Senior Neighbors,
the Elderberry Institute Living at Home Block Nurse
and Access Health.
Program, which delivers community services that help
older adults remain at home as long as possible. This
Since its inception, the Michigan Arthritis Program has played
partnership allowed the arthritis program to significantly
a vital role in the development of MI-PATH infrastructure
expand the reach of self-management education and
to support statewide implementation and dissemination of the
exercise program across the state. For example, the
PATH program. MI-PATH has since evolved into regional
number of new participants in the Arthritis Foundation
PATH groups throughout Michigan. The support, partnership,
Self-Help Program increased 229% in 2006. The number
and integration of chronic disease programs within the MDCH
of new participants in the Arthritis Foundation Exercise
Chronic Disease Program are critical because of the many state
Program increased 125%. These programs are now avail-
residents who have arthritis and other chronic diseases. In 2007,
able in 50 of the state’s 87 counties.
58.9% of residents with arthritis also had diabetes, 65.4% also
had cardiovascular disease, 53.9% also had high blood pressure,
In 2009, Minnesota is expanding its efforts to include
and 46.7% also had high cholesterol.
the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, which
will be called the Living Well With Chronic Conditions
In addition, several programs in the MDCH Division of
Program.
Chronic Disease and Injury Control have demonstrated their
commitment to MI-PATH by sharing resources and integrating
PATH into their initiatives and work plans. Examples include
programs that target arthritis, asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular
To ensure that these programs are reaching as many people
health, people with disabilities, and osteoporosis. As a result, the
as possible, Wisconsin officials created a statewide community
number of counties offering workshops or leadership trainings
resource map to identify interventions at the county level.
increased 144% from September 2007 to September 2008, with
This resource was used to identify gaps in services and ways
more than half of the state’s 83 counties represented.
for programs to collaborate and expand their services locally
In addition, the number of PATH workshops has doubled
through promotion, referral, and cross-training.
in the last year.
At present, 20 instructors from nine facilities in Central
Wisconsin: Partnerships and Systems Change Open
Wisconsin have been cross-trained, and most are teaching both
More Doors for People With Arthritis
the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program and Living Well.
A recent workshop for public health and aging services profes-
More than one-half of adults aged 65 years or older in Wisconsin
sionals was designed to increase awareness and dialogue about
have arthritis. Many are also obese, physically inactive, and have
how these programs can be used to effectively reach people with
additional chronic conditions. The Wisconsin Arthritis Program,
chronic conditions. Within 6 months of the cross-training,
with CDC funding and in collaboration with the Arthritis
the number of people with arthritis who participated in the
Foundation Wisconsin Chapter and the state’s Aging Network,
Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program more than doubled.
are using two evidence-based interventions to improve the
These efforts have improved the availability and accessibility
health of state residents with arthritis. These interventions are
of evidence-based programs and expanded community infra-
the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program and Living Well,
structure and capacity to address the barriers and needs of state
a chronic disease self-management program.
residents with arthritis and other chronic conditions.
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