Arthritis Victoria Rebrands for National Approach

Health advocacy Not for Profit Arthritis and Osteoporosis Victoria has rebranded in a decision the organisation said reflected its national approach and research work as well as increasing collaboration with new sector partners.

The 46-year-old organisation has changed its name to MOVE to address health issues and research around more than 150 muscle, bone and joint conditions.

MOVE CEO Linda Martin said the new organisation was not limited to geographical boundaries.

“We are already a national charity. For many years, the scope and purpose of our organisation has been broader than our [original] name suggested,” Martin told Pro Bono Australia News.

“The decision comes after careful consideration about a brand change to better capture who we are, what we do, who we do it for.

“The new name, MOVE – muscle, bone & joint health, is more inclusive to people of all ages; children, young adults, working age and older Australians with one or more of the 150 conditions.

“We think it’s a much more accessible term and people know more about what we are talking about.

“MOVE has many connotations for us. It’s about the importance of physical activity wanting people to move and stay healthy no matter what their condition is, but it’s also saying we think it’s time for the health sector to make a move to make sure that people get the right treatment in the right place and the right time and understand their conditions.”

Martin said the issues of muscle, bone and joint conditions have a national and international impact.

“These conditions affect almost one in three Australians. They are the largest single cost category in our hospitals according to the AIHW 2016 report and they are the lead cause of disability for people with more than one long term health condition according to an ABS 2013 statistics.

“Some 60 per cent of people with these conditions are aged 25 to 64 which is very concerning,” Martin said.

“We want to be inclusive of all of these groups and we want a much louder voice and we want to see some national strategy and policy around these conditions and the understanding of the cost and impact on individuals, the health system and indeed the economy of the country.

“We are looking at really strong effective partnerships… so we work very broadly with a range of organisations including research institutes and universities and with many other Not for Profits.  We are also interested in working in areas of mental health because we see there is enormous comorbidity between mental health problems and musculoskeletal pain.

“In the digital age we have moved on in the way we communicate. It is not possible to provide digital services that are limited by geographical boundaries.”