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National Fibromyalgia Association
Founders	Lynne Matallana Karen Lee Richards
Type	501(c)3
Founded	1997
Headquarters	Orange, California
Staff	President: Lynne Matallana Board of directors: Nancy Derby Mark Dobrilovic John Fry, PhD Richard Matallana Michael Seffinger, DO, FAAFP Herb Smith N. Charle Morcos, MD, PhD L. Scott Stoney, MD
Area served	International
Focus	Patient education Medical education programs Supporting research
Mission	To develop and execute programs dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with fibromyalgia.
Method	Assistance to support groups Fibromyalgia AWARE Magazine Fibromyalgia Awareness Day Leaders Against Pain Coalition Legislative lobbying Ongoing media presence
Motto	To help empower patients
Website	www.FMAware.org

National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) is a United States nonprofit organization founded to support persons with fibromyalgia (FM) and other chronic pain illnesses.

Mission

The National Fibromyalgia Association's mission is to help people affected by FM by organizing awareness events, media coverage, support and training for support group leaders across the United States. The NFA produces informational materials, hosts patient and health care provider web sites, and publishes the magazine Fibromyalgia AWARE.^[1]

Development

First known as the National Fibromyalgia Awareness Campaign,^[2] the NFA was founded as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 1997 in Orange, California, by Lynne Matallana^[3][4][5] and Karen Lee Richards.^[6] Since then, the NFA has developed the educational website FMaware.org^[7][8] in 2002,^[9] founded the international magazine quarterly Fibromyalgia AWARE as the only consumer magazine on fibromyalgia published in the United States,^[10] and advocated the development of continuing medical educational programs.

Through 2006, the NFA hosted six international conferences, featuring authorities on fibromyalgia who presented their research and expertise to attendees, including patients and health care professionals. More than 1,000 people attended the 2006 FAME (Fibromyalgia Awareness Means Everything) conference.^[11]

The NFA partnered with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Institute of John Hopkins Nursing in 2007, to form “The Fibromyalgia Circle of Care”, a collaboration that hold three annual initiatives^[12] that work to assist healthcare providers in diagnosing fibromyalgia, ^[12] raising awareness of the condition,^[13] and taking care of patients diagnosed with the illness.

The NFA has been covered by various media sources, including National Public Radio,^[14] Newsweek,^[15] The Gazette,^[16] and United Press International.^[17]

Founders

Co-founders Matallana and Richards have both been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. They first met in 1997 through discussions in online fibromyalgia chat groups, and shared similar concerns over incorrect diagnoses as well as a lack of available information and patient support.^[6] Matallana had first experienced symptoms of pain and fatigue in 1993, and by 1997 had visited 37 doctors before being diagnosed with fibromyalgia.^[18][19] Richards said that she had become ill in 1989, but did not receive a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia until 1996.^[20] After the two met, they organized gatherings with other fibromyalgia patients who wanted to increase public awareness of the issue, initiating the National Fibromyalgia Awareness Campaign,^[21][22] which developed over the following five years to become the NFA.^[11] Matallana is current president of the NFA and is publisher and Editor-in-chief of Fibromyalgia AWARE magazine.^[23] Richards served as NFA's vice president from 1997 through 2006, and as executive editor of Fibromyalgia AWARE for four years after the magazine's 2002 launch.^[20]

References

External links

• National Fibromyalgia Association website
• National Fibromyalgia Association health care provider web site