What We Do

We are CAPA members because Canadians with arthritis require better access to medications and to health care professionals and services. We believe in the need to increase the level of public and political awareness of arthritis. We know there is a need to increase patient involvement in helping to establish arthritis research and planning agendas. Everyone must understand that arthritis is not ‘just arthritis’, it is not ‘just aches and pains’ and it is not ‘just an old peoples disease’. It is a collection of debilitating diseases any one of which can occur from early childhood to very old age.

How We Work

We provide a strong voice and concerted effort to promote the social, economic and environmental well being of people living with arthritis. We communicate with all levels of government to make positive changes to health policies. We maintain formal and informal networks, initiate or participate in committees and partnerships with other organizations to better enable us to negotiate on behalf of people living with arthritis – and we talk to our neighbors.

Our operations depend on support from many sources that include organizations, industry, government and individuals who believe in what we do. We thank you all.

Where We Work

CAPA is not a ‘bricks and mortar’ organization. The Internet connects us and we communicate by email. Information is conveyed through our newsletter, emails, Facebook and Twitter. Although CAPA is a young organization we have already accomplished a great deal. For example, CAPA members participate as advisors and collaborators in major research projects, serve as appointed members on expert panels with the same privileges and responsibilities as all other members, and are considered stakeholders with the same status as all other stakeholders by government agencies. We help inform health policy, meet with researchers, government staffers, MPs and Senators, and present at major national and international conferences. In all of these examples we provide the patient experience, perspective and voice. CAPA has helped to make Canadian arthritis patients/consumers visible and recognized as individuals and valuable contributors to the health care agenda.