ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION OPENS LOCAL BRANCH

Cape Girardeau area residents living with arthritis will have more immediate access to information and other resources, as the Arthritis Foundation has opened a Southeast Missouri branch.

Marilyn Duncan, Southeast Missouri Branch director, said the chapter temporarily is operating out of her home in Chaffee, but she can meet with people at their convenience to discuss arthritis concerns and provide other information.

The Cape Girardeau area formerly was included in the Eastern Missouri chapter, which served an area from Iowa to Arkansas and was based in St. Louis. The Southeast Missouri branch will organize programs and special events in Butler, Perry, Cape Girardeau, Scott, Stoddard, New Madrid, Pemiscot and Dunklin counties.

The Arthritis Foundation estimates there are more than 100,000 adults in the Southeast Missouri region who have been diagnosed with arthritis.

The Southeast Missouri branch offers arthritis services including self-help courses, warm-water and land-based exercise programs, support groups, home study groups, instructional videotapes and free literature about different forms of arthritis, treatment options and self-management techniques.

Duncan said other Arthritis Foundation events are being organized in Southeast Missouri, including an April golf tournament in Sikeston, the Jingle Bell Run fund-raiser and the Joints in Motion marathon fund-raiser.

A variety of programs are planned for May, which is National Arthritis Month.

The Southeast Missouri branch is seeking volunteers to help disseminate information and organize events.

The Arthritis Foundation is the only national voluntary health organization working for nearly 43 million Americans affected by more than 100 forms of arthritis.

For more information about arthritis or about volunteering with the Arthritis Foundation, call Duncan at 264-4993 or toll free at (877) 744-4993.