News

Valerie Crawford’s wait is almost over. The 76-year-old from Quesnel, B.C. was recently contacted by her surgeon, and the hip replacement surgery she has been waiting for since 2019 has been scheduled for the end of May 2021.   She’s elated, but at the same time, she says...

Response from Trish Barbato, President and CEO of the Arthritis Society to Canabis is not ready to be called medicine, yet (Toronto Star, April 27) Cannabis isn’t medicine?  Tell that to Judith.  The retired Guelph resident lived most of her adult life in pain. For more...

Dr. Mathew Tunis  Executive Secretary, National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) We are writing on behalf of Canadians living with rheumatic diseases on immunosuppressive medications.Like in the cancer community, Canadians living with the worst forms of autoimmune arthritis...

The New Brunswick government is following the lead of other jurisdictions and expanding its use of biosimilar drugs to improve the sustainability of public drug plans, Health Minister Dorothy Shephard announced Wednesday.Biosimilars are "highly similar," but less expensive versions of...

The Arthritis Society couldn’t do what it does without its amazing volunteers. As we celebrate National Volunteer Week, we want to recognize the special recipients of this year’s Mary Pack Volunteer Award. The award is presented to the most dedicated and inspirational volunteers...

Christine Basque  Executive Director, British Columbia     We applaud the Government of British Columbia for making healthcare a priority in its budget released yesterday, which included $495 million in new permanent funding to help reduce surgery backlogs.      On...

Trish Barbato  President and CEO We are pleased to see the federal government reiterate its commitment to boost the federal health transfer in yesterday’s budget but that is a one-time hike. More needs to be done to address the wait times crisis affecting patients across the...

Richard and Sharon Clements have written an open letter to Premier Horgan and health minister Adrian Dix, reaching out to address the issue of elective surgery being postponed with no schedule set for those currently in need.Sharon, 74, needs a new hip and suffers with the damaged one every day.

Thanks to generous donor support, the Arthritis Society is able to invest in additional research to help improve the lives of people living with arthritis.   In addition to the eight awards announced earlier this year, the Arthritis Society is pleased to announce it will be funding four...