Patients Present at the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) meeting

The CAPA Board of Directors attended this year’s Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) meeting in chilly Ottawa and we were proud to have been accepted for two poster presentations. The first poster highlighted the results of the Methotrexate survey and the second poster focused on the CAPA-developed resource on pregnancy and parenting with arthritis.

A Resource for Patients by Patients: Pregnancy & Parenting with Arthritis

As the next step to our survey on pregnancy and parenting with arthritis, we have produced a resource to help people with arthritis as they navigate their way through this important part of their lives. The resource includes advice from people living with arthritis who have first-hand experience and tips to share. Read the resource and get informed about the different aspects of pregnancy and parenting with arthritis!

A Day in the Life of a Patient Advocate
As part of our Making your Voice Heard campaign, CAPA Board Members approached their local Members of Parliament to make them aware of arthritis and the burden it creates for people who live with it, their families and caregivers. Read the next installment of our series: The Day In the Life of a Patient Advocate. See how CAPA Board Member, Annette MacKinnon, met with a Member of Parliament to speak out about arthritis!

 

What have we been up to?
Update on the Methotrexate Survey – Thanks to our membership’s participation in the Methotrexate survey, we were able to show decision-makers what people with arthritis felt about their experience in taking Methotrexate. Preliminary results were presented at the poster session of the Canadian Rheumatology Association meeting on February 10th in Ottawa and we will also be presenting the results at the CADTH symposium in April.
Private Payer’s Forum – Our Vice President, Dawn Richards, participated in a panel about The Burden of Non-Adherence at the Benefits Canada conference held in December 2016 in Toronto. Dawn brought the patient perspective to a room full of employers, benefits plan managers, and representatives from the insurance industry, providing different insights in to why people sometimes are not able to take their medication as prescribed. She spoke of the importance of asking patients who rely on medications why they aren’t able to take medications and to understand their perspective and the difficulties they encounter (whether it be due to side effects, cost, life, etc.). Read an article highlighting the different perspectives on this important issue!
CADTH submissions – CAPA continues to provide input to the review of drugs by publicly funded drug plans such as CADTH. Read CAPA’s submission for a Sarilumab in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Arthritis Alliance of Canada meeting & The Arthritis Society Quebec Forum –CAPA is a founding member and active contributor to the Arthritis Alliance of Canada (AAC). Several CAPA Board Members attended the AAC annual meeting in late October and The Arthritis Society’s Quebec Forum. If you weren’t able to attend the Forum, you can view the presentations here!

 

Stay Informed!
Become a CAPA Member – Become more involved in CAPA by signing up to become a member on our website. As a member, you can choose to receive information from CAPA when we send out information to our community. You will receive our quarterly newsletter as well as any other mailouts we send (don’t worry- we won’t swamp you with emails!). Sign up now to receive all of these member only benefits!
Resources on Methotrexate, Biosimilars & more! Don’t forget to read our resource about pairing Methotrexate and Biologic medications and a video to understand the difference between biologic and biosimilar drugs. Visit the Resources section of our website to get informed!
Living with RA & Sex – Through it’s not often talked about, Mariah Leach, is trying to highlight the topic of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sex. In her latest article on Rheumatoidarthritis.net, she writes about how she decided to see a sex therapist. Read her informative article “Where Oh Where is my Libido? or The Time I decided to see a Sex Therapist.”
Website, Facebook, Twitter & YouTube – Our website, Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube channel are updated regularly with new information. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to keep up to date on the latest arthritis and advocacy information.

 

Largest JIA Event in Canada

Cassie & Friends Society in a non-profit organization committed to making life better for kids and families affected by Juvenile Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. They held the largest JIA event in Canada last October – read what it was all about here!

Collaborating with the Best Medicines Coalition

CAPA President, Linda Wilhelm is our representative with the Best Medicines Coalition and she attended their annual meeting in November 2016. Read her meeting report to learn about private insurance and health care policy trends including an update on the Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance and Health Accord negotiations.

 

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