More information about the impact of arthritis on the military can be found in an op-ed from ACR President Sharad Lakhanpal, MBBS, MD, and Arthritis Foundation CEO Ann Palmer, which was published recently in The Hill. If you are active on Twitter or Facebook, we encourage you to share this piece with your networks as well!
Opportunity for Research
Dr. Edgerton also described the unique research opportunities within the military health system that can benefit the general public, as well as the military population.
“The military health system gives us access to a ‘captive population,’ meaning these individuals are all in the same system and receive their care through the system,” Dr. Edgerton explained.
The military also has a single electronic health records system as well as a serum bank, which allows researchers to go back in time and look for early markers of rheumatic disease.
“Our charge to you is to talk to your bosses about supporting a dedicated arthritis research budget at the DoD,” Dr. Edgerton concluded. “The benefits of such a program will surely touch the lives of your constituents, whether they are in the Armed Forces or not.”
Social Media Engagement
The Arthritis 101 briefing was well received by those online as well. The ACR reached more than 20,100 impressions of live tweets during the event. The Arthritis Foundation and its members were also active on social media during the event and helped share Dr. Worthing’s and Dr. Edgerton’s remarks with their audiences. To see posts from the briefing, visit #AdvocateforArthritis on Twitter and be sure to follow @ACRheum for future policy updates.
If you would like to support the ACR’s advocacy efforts from home, visit the Legislative Advocacy Center to send an email and a tweet to your members of Congress about the need for a dedicated arthritis research budget.
