Arthritis Center gets new research facility

Adam F. Jarrold Arizona Daily Wildcat Regent Eddie Basha was the keynote speaker yesterday at the dedication of the new research facility for the Arizona Arthritis Center at University Medical Center. Basha said his hope is that the new center can help combat Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.

"It's a dream come true for many dreamers and doers who will serve the citizens of Arizona," said Henry Koffler, former University of Arizona president.

Fred Armstrong, the first chairman of the board for the Arthritis Center, cut the ceremonial ribbon shortly before noon on the eighth floor of the College of Medicine.

Armstrong pledged $1 million in December 1992 to fund the center, which will house 14 research laboratories, a state-of-the-art auditorium, conference rooms, a library and administrative offices.

"Aggressive research, early detection and innovative treatment will be the hallmark of this arthritis center," said Eddie Basha, member of the Arizona Board of Regents and keynote speaker at the dedication.

"Not only does this medical center stand tall among the great hospitals and regional health care centers of today, it also operates one of the world's best teaching hospitals," Basha said.

UA President Manuel Pacheco said centers of excellence are important to the university because they bring together top people in a selected field. These specialists are provided with a well-equipped building and are then let loose to turn a good program i nto an excellent one, he said.

"We're witnessing one more step forward as our College of Medicine moves on to greater heights," Pacheco said.

"We're witnessing more than progress for the college," he said. "The center means progress in the quality of lives for the people we exist to serve."

Basha said one-third of arthritis sufferers in the nation are children. Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is one the major cripplers of the young, he said.

"It is my hope that this center and those who support it will pay special focus on early detection and treatment of those who are at the dawn of their lives, our precious children," Basha said.

Randy Johnson, a dentist from Phoenix whose son suffers from JRA, spoke of the experiences his family endured after his 7-year-old son returned home from school with a swollen ankle 11/2 years ago.

Johnson said his son's temperature rose to 107 degrees by the next day. The boy was later diagnosed with JRA.

"It touches my heart to see him as a spectator instead of a participator of his favorite sports," Johnson said. "Someday, this illness will be conquered."

Dr. David Yokum, director of the Arizona Arthritis Center, said, "I'm here to tell you today there's a lot more to come."

New drugs are being developed that will affect the lives of people suffering from over 100 forms of arthritis, including JRA, Yokum said. The hospital is improving therapy also.

More than 90,000 children suffer from arthritis in the United States. About 2,000 of those children live in Arizona, Yokum said. He added that the primary goal of the center is to build a stronger pediatric rheumatology program.

Yokum said the center is built with the help of a community and medical center committed to helping those who suffer from arthritis.

"The arthritis center will play a key role in the continuous development of these advances to provide a better life for those people who suffer from arthritis."