I 4 * ;mnts-,,.Arthr erence This month marks the end of the first six months of the special activities rthritis/proqram developed last fiscal year by the Division of l@,e i,@nal Medical. Programs of the I-lealth Resources A,dministrz)@tion, ,ni. iTnder this program a total. of .--- separate arthritis -Pxmgxxxs projects in different PMPT are receiving support for one year in the total amount of $4.4 million. is ne@w program has been designed to improve the comprehensiveness and C!uality of services delivered to patients with arthritis, to identify earlier -,ind more completely i'Ll those who require treatment, nd to educate more fully all those who either provide or receive treatment or who secondarily are affected by the arthritic patient n@d/@or the disease. Although developed under the sponsorship of np6 @xx supported by the Peaervl Governrftent, from its inception the Federal. sponsors of this program have sought and received 2 the cooperation of the National Arthritis Foundation, the relevant professional societies including the American Academy of orthopedic Surgeons who are one of the sponsors of the present conference, the Nttional. steering Committee of the Regional Medical Programs as well as the individual Regional Medical Programs, and key individuals in the f ield of arthritis and rbeumptolog .y. invitations to participate in the initial and continuing development of this program, including the present conference, were extended to the National institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, and at this time I wish to acknowledge our gratitude for that institute's support during the initial stages of the program's development. Assembled here today we may v'lew ourselves so a heterogenous group of arthritis project directors, concerned latmen, health service providers, regional medical program coordinators, consumers voluntary agency representatives and Pt least one involved Federal official. What is it that we wish to accomplish in this two ay 3 eeting? 14jat are our common needs and how can we structure our activities and processes over the comint .T months in order that we may together benefit from each ofhers experiences. Can we not# at this time, through joint endeavors bring into being a coherent, obesive -incl meaningful national program of demonstration arthritis cti-vities wbi.cb will measure up to the potentialwe al.1 know it to have and thus to merit the further support which. surely as intli.viclu@.1 directors and concerned citizens you will. seek as you attempt to meet the needs of the people within your individual cext,miun it ies'el As Cicero said, "The punish ent of those wbo -care too wise to become involved in the affairs of government is to leave the affairs of government to and be governed by the unwise"--Let us not shirk this opportunity to address ourselves to difficult issues and to take theme steps wbich good sense dictate are necessary if this 4 %va small but potentially vital new national, initiative by the ,;Iederal government into the improved management of the cirtbritics mong us in our own communities is not to become just another memory of a flash in the pan, though noble, spurt of the Federal conscience. Th future of this program I.ies in V@ur hands--pind the purpose of calling this conference is to provide you with the opportunity to meet one another, to discuss and argue jointly in your workshops the pe plenary sessions and over coffee as to xh bow you can organize yourselves and your activities so as to evolve out this fledgling struggling and short-term supported effort a sense of commpr. purpose and national goals wbicl will form the basis for a long-term, stable national program effort vft which will enrich the notion's health delivery system. With the passage of the National Beel.th Plpnning and Development Act 5 of IP74., the future of the Nati-onal l@legi.on,@l. Medical. Progr in 'has I)een cleprly determined, and you may no longer look to this program for certainty of continued sup..@rt. Thus, -the prime task of this conference is to move tbe--your--present program into one of national vigi-bilitv and importance based upon perceive an demonstrated merit, and to assist thereby in accelerating the improvements in !management of arthritis which are called for under the newly passed Public Taw sponsored by Senator C rprt q ton @imny indivi.,Iuals;,groups and organizations have worked dil' ently :Lc and effectively to bring forth tbe small but important program which is represented here today by your collective pre0ence. The future of it, tbougb unclear in al.L particulars, is not necessari. alcb those steps which if tbrouc ly bleak Th this conference you t cl.eprl.lv must be taken to assume for yourselves leadership - - - - - - -4 u ' 1 4 4- 4 -ft," 47o%vp 4 4-,o 42it @@ oY- ey V-^T.Y-Fh - elavp-lnnment and effectiveness 6 n I.os,'Lncr, I.et 'nie express my gr,,ntitiicle t(,) ;.,ill of yo,.% for ut,-king i@t possibl.e to arrange this conference Friel -I:o wish iroti well in 7,ro r del,iber7@ti@ns.