Overview  

Culture can profoundly influence the way people experience and respond to health and disease.  With the changing demographics throughout the US, the Arthritis Foundation (AF) is to strive to come one step closer to lessening the burden of arthritis within diverse populations.

In efforts to meet the AF’s strategic goal to reduce arthritis related disparities in health and health care, the Arthritis Foundation (AF)  staff have worked together to create a compilation of AF and other resources to aide AF staff and volunteers in their work  with diverse populations.

Arthritis Foundation Diversity Strategies

The Arthritis Foundation is committed to reducing arthritis-related disparities in health and health care by: 

• Raising awareness about arthritis in disparate populations
• Identifying and focusing resources on largest populations that have the highest need nationally and locally
• Emphasizing partnerships with populations that experience disparities
• Collaborating with local entities and national partners including federal and state entitites to decrease health disparities

The Foundation will continue to collaborate with national partners to help continue to bring awareness and education about arthritis and diverse populations such as: 

American Diabetes Association 

Movement is Life Caucus

National Alliance for Hispanic Health 

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Disparities Initiative 

Office of Minority Health within the Department of Health and Human Services