Awareness Week

Northern Ireland celebrates Arthritis Care Awareness Week success

Northern Ireland celebrated Arthritis Care Awareness Week in style this year.  Arthritis Care Awareness Week ran from Saturday 12th April until Friday 18th April 2008, with the Arthritis Care Northern Ireland Annual Conference happening during the week, on Thursday 17th April 2008.

To celebrate Awareness Week and have as many people as possible getting access to information about us and their arthritis we held information events right across the province for the duration of the week. The main displays were in:

• Antrim Area Hospital
• Ulster Hospital
• Belfast City Hospital
• Royal Victoria Hospital
• Mitre Rehabilitation & Physiotherapy Unit, Musgrave Park Hospital
• Causeway Hospital
• Carrickfergus Health Centre
• Maureen Sheehan Centre
• Flagship Centre, Bangor

Two of the main pharmacy chains in Northern Ireland also took part:

• Gordons Chemist partnered with us for the 3rd year in a row, with our information available in each of their 48 branches as well as 8 new Scottish outlets which they have opened.
• McKays Pharmacy displayed our information in 3 of their outlets

Helena Buchanan, head of health promotions with Gordons Chemist

, the province’s largest independent pharmacy chain said, 

“We are delighted to be teaming up with Arthritis Care once again to raise awareness and support at a local level for this very worthy cause. Incidences of arthritis are on the increase and there is as such a vital need for this type of proactive campaign.

As a community based company we are committed to raising health awareness and bringing information and support to local people on their own doorsteps.

To this end our pharmacists will be on hand throughout Awareness Week to offer support to customers and to help advise them on their medication and alternative treatments which are now available for people with arthritis.”

Lynda Jackson, information services manager at Arthritis Care, said: ‘I am delighted with the interest shown throughout awareness week. The amount of publications given to people as a result of this initiative will have had a large impact on the raising of awareness about arthritis and Arthritis Care.

‘Having chains such as McKays and Gordons involved will have a great long term effect as the staff in these stores will continue to be able to signpost their clients with arthritis towards our services.’

For further information about our information service, or any of our other services, please contact us