The Mission of the Arthritis Foundation is to improve lives through leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and related diseases.

Description:
The Arthritis Foundation is the only national voluntary health agency seeking the causes, cures, preventions and treatments for the more than 100 forms of arthritis. The Foundation has 150 chapters and service points nationwide to provide community-based programs and to raise funds. The Arthritis Foundation is a volunteer-driven organization with program, research, budget and policy decisions made by volunteer committees. Paid staff provides professional expertise and support for volunteer efforts.

The Arthritis Foundation currently provides nearly $20 million in grants to nearly 300 researchers to help find a cure, prevention or better treatment for arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation’s sponsorship of research for more than 50 years has resulted in major treatment advances for most arthritis diseases.

The Arthritis Foundation also provides a large number of community-based services nationwide to make life with arthritis easier.

Arthritis Foundation volunteers serve as advocates to local and national governments on behalf of the nearly 70 million Americans with arthritis and chronic joint symptoms. Their successes include the federal establishment of a national institute for arthritis among the National Institutes of Health, increased federal funding for arthritis research and state funding for arthritis medications.

History:
In 1948, a group of scientists and physicians came together to take action against this condition called arthritis. Perhaps heartened by breakthroughs in medicine, this community of scientists envisioned a day when a cure for arthritis would be discovered and the millions of people with arthritis would no longer suffer. Their actions resulted in the formation of the Arthritis Foundation.

Contact person: Kim Thompson, Community Manager, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (732) 283-4633

Address:

200 Middlesex Turnpike Iselin, NJ 08830 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.arthritis.org