Juvenile Arthritis Association: Raising Awareness About a Prevalent Yet Overlooked Chronic Childhood Disease

Based in Beverly Hills, California, the Juvenile Arthritis Association (JAA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness, funding, and resources about pediatric rheumatic diseases. Usually broadly categorized as juvenile arthritis, pediatric rheumatic diseases are a family of autoimmune diseases that cause severe inflammation and pain in any part of the body. Extremely debilitating and sometimes fatal, pediatric rheumatic diseases are more common than many other chronic childhood ailments, affecting more children than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and juvenile diabetes combined.

A 2007 CDC study estimates that 294,000 children in America (1 in 250) have been diagnosed with arthritis or another rheumatologic disease. Still, there is a huge lack of research funding that goes toward pediatric rheumatic diseases, and there are fewer than 200 board certified pediatric rheumatologists nationwide, causing several families to travel hundreds of miles just to see a specialist. Even under professional care, children and young adults with rheumatic diseases face big challenges. Prescribed treatments come with significant side effects, and lack of public awareness about these illnesses leads to bullying and intolerance.

The Juvenile Arthritis Association was founded to change the status quo. While there are other organizations that focus on arthritis and rheumatic illnesses, very few cater to children and young adults exclusively. Committed to significantly improving the lives of individuals with pediatric rheumatic diseases and their families, JAA brings community, awareness, research, and empowerment (CARE) to those who need it. The non-profit is currently developing its website into a powerful online resource that will include news, blogs, educational materials, and medical information; planning an innovative public service announcement campaign that will have print, video, and social media components; and backing the pediatric rheumatology core program at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Last Saturday, actress and JAA supporter Teri Hatcher hosted her third annual celebrity yard sale at The Americana at Brand to benefit the organization. Hatcher was inspired to support JAA after meeting a child with pediatric rheumatic disease a few years ago.