4 S.C. programs get funds boost

State gets $500,000 award from CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave $500,000 to South Carolina to jumpstart programs aimed at making life better for people with arthritis.

Twelve states received the money after the CDC reorganized its funding approach and opted for fewer and larger grants. Previously, 36 states received smaller amounts.

In the nation, South Carolina has the sixth-highest prevalence of the joint inflammation disease, according to S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, the agency charged with overseeing the grant.

Cora Plass, director of the DHEC's healthy aging program, said the funding will allow for wider access to programs designed to help people cope with the degenerative disease.

Training courses for instructors already are being scheduled across the state, she said.

More than 30 percent of adults in South Carolina, or about a million people, have arthritis. About 372,000 residents have limitations because of the disease.

More than 100 types of arthritis exist, including fibromyalgia and lupus, Plass said. The money will expand partnerships the DHEC has with the Arthritis Foundation and the Lt. Governor's Office on Aging.

All the programs are evidence-based and have solid research showing they work, she said. Two of the programs are self-management-based and teach people life skills to manage their chronic condition.

One self-management program, Living Well South Carolina, is offered through the Office on Aging and addresses various chronic diseases, not just arthritis.

Participants spent fewer days in the hospital and had fewer outpatient visits, the Office on Aging said.

The Arthritis Foundation Self Help Program also is a management program. The workshop has proven to reduce arthritis-related pain by 20 percent and decrease physician visits by 40 percent, the foundation said.

A second foundation program that will benefit from the new funding is an exercise class. "People who have arthritis tend to be afraid of exercise because they hurt," Plass said. "(Exercise) is one of the best things they can do to stay healthy and prevent deterioration."

The fourth program DHEC will partner and expand is Enhance Fitness program, which is offered through some AME churches.

Reach Jill Coley at 937-5719 or jcoley@postandcourier.com.