About Arthritis Society - British Columbia and Yukon Division Office
** About Us **
As a donor-funded organization, we raise more than $5 million annually to support arthritis-related research, programs and services for over 600,000 people in British Columbia and the Yukon who live with arthritis.
The Arthritis Society is the only not-for-profit organization in Canada uniquely devoted to promoting and funding arthritis research based solutions, education, as well as community support for Canadians living with arthritis. Founded in 1948, with thousands of volunteers over the years, The Arthritis Society continues to have an outstanding reputation in the community and a successful track record of results.
Amidst our world of information overload, The Arthritis Society remains the most valued and trusted resource on arthritis for patients, their families and health professionals.
History Of Arthritis Society - British Columbia and Yukon Division Office
** Our History **
The Arthritis Society's legacy of research and care is due to the initial stimulus and determination of Vancouver home-school instructor Mary Pack. In 1946, Mary Pack, armed with 7,000 signatures on a petition, went to talk to a politician about arthritis. Her request was simple: include arthritis on the National Health Bill soon to be presented to parliament and fund research into a cure for this devastating diseases.
The MP' s reaction was disappointing.
'My dear young lady, you are trying to move a mountain with a very little spade'
Our Founder---Mary Pack
But Mary was undeterred. She knew too many people who were suffering in silence. And she was determined to help them. Mary was convinced that there were thousands of volunteers who would want to fight this tyrant disease.
Mary Pack found them. One by one, politicians, patients, health care workers and others joined her brigade. By 1948, her small group of BC volunteers had grown into a national organization - The Canadian Arthritis and Rheumatism Society (CARS).
Mary Pack dreamed of a world without arthritis. And she shared that dream with many whom she encountered, and many who became her friends.
A Legacy of Leadership
We' ve come a long way over the past half century, providing an integrated care approach to help people achieve a better quality of life. Our treatment programs - now operated by Vancouver Coastal Health Authority - have been offered over the years in hundreds of facilities around the province and are recognized worldwide.
People can talk to trained volunteers through our telephone information service, use our Arthritis Learning Centre to access information, attend programs to learn how to manage arthritis, receive support from volunteers in many community groups throughout the province, participate in arthritis exercise programs or visit our interactive web site.
Opened in 1969, and funded by donations, the Mary Pack Arthritis Centre was the first of its kind in Canada. Today, the centre, integrates clinical research, education and treatment. The centre's medical staff include physicians and surgeons, all having appointments on the teaching staff of the Faculty of Medicine in the departments of Rheumatology, Orthopaedics and Medicine.
In the spring of 2000 the Society opened The Arthritis Learning Centre, providing consumers with the information they need to take control of their disease. We also established the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada in 2001 in response to our donors' requests to make research a top priority.
The Arthritis Research Centre of Canada (ARC) is now an independent organization that works closely with The Arthritis Society for the benefit of all people with arthritis. A patient-oriented research centre, ARC conducts consumer-driven clinical research and trials related to arthritis diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, care outcomes and quality of life issues.
