Osteoarthritis Action Alliance

The Osteoarthritis (OA) Action Alliance is a national coalition of concerned organizations committed to elevating osteoarthritis (OA) as a national health priority and promoting effective policy solutions that aim to address the individual and national toll of OA. In addition, the OA Action Alliance, with the public health community, is working to ensure people with OA have the access, skills and capacity to benefit from effective and proven interventions. For more information you can contact the OA Action Alliance directly at oaaction@unc.edu. 

Who  

The OA Action Alliance is mobilized by the Arthritis Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The Alliance is housed at the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. It is a resource of information and activation for those who are interested in learning more and doing more about OA.  

What

The OA Action Alliance is a membership organization that is free to join.  The Alliance also provides a number of resources including a website, e-newsletters, monthly lunch-and-learn webinars, social media accounts, and program information and implementation resources.

Membership:  https://oaaction.unc.edu/about-the-alliance/benefits-of-membership/

Program information for community organizations:  https://oaaction.unc.edu/resource-library/for-community-partners/

FREE Self-Directed Walk With Ease program: www.walkwitharthritis.com 

Where

The OA Action Alliance serves a national audience and includes over 100 members from across the country (https://oaaction.unc.edu/about-the-alliance/member-organizations/).  As mentioned above, the Alliance is housed at the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 

Why 

As a nation, we are experiencing an under-recognized public health crisis: an epidemic of osteoarthritis (OA). There is an urgent need to elevate OA as a national public health priority.

Today, 32.5 million people – 1 in almost every 10 American adults – have this serious disease that mainly affects the hands, knees, and hips. Even more alarming, OA rates are expected to increase in the years ahead as Baby Boomers age and the effects of the obesity epidemic continue to manifest. Osteoarthritis is common, expensive, and a leading cause of disability.Many Americans with OA face chronic pain and functional limitations, which often results in job loss and reduced quality of life. In North Carolina, the impact of OA is even more significant, with 1 in 6 North Carolinians having the disease. 

The OA Action Alliance is committed to elevating osteoarthritis (OA) as a national health priority and promoting effective policy solutions that aim to address the individual and national toll of OA. In addition, the OA Action Alliance, with the public health community, is working to ensure people with OA have the access, skills and capacity to benefit from effective and proven interventions.

When 

The OA Action Alliance was mobilized in 2011 to advance the recommendations set forth in A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis. As a coalition of organizations concerned about osteoarthritis, the OA Action Alliance is empowered to raise awareness collectively and bring education and an extensive network of resources to bear toward reducing this burden.

 

Visit Osteoarthritis Action Alliance