Speaker Spotlight: Orvie Prewitt

Orvie Prewitt has been involved in health education for 23 years.  She is the Program Coordinator for the Kansas City Regional Arthritis Center (KC RAC) which serves 10 Missouri counties.  The KC RAC is funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the State of Missouri.  The KC RAC offers free evidence-based programs in the community to help individuals with chronic conditions to achieve a better quality of life.  She also does contract work as a Project Coordinator for the American Pain Foundation (APF) for fibromyalgia awareness in four states – Missouri, Georgia, Michigan, and New Jersey in addition to volunteering for APF.

Orvie is certified by Stanford University to train leaders and lead the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program on varying conditions, i.e. chronic diseases, arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, etc.   She is also certified by the Arthritis Foundation to train leaders and lead the Arthritis Self-Management Program, Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, and the Walk with Ease Program.

Orvie was appointed in 1994 by Secretary of Health, Dr. Donna Shalala as a Council Member of the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council (NAAIDC), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.  The NAAIDC is chaired by Dr. Anthony Fauci Director of NIAID.  The term was for four years.  Additionally, she was appointed in 1994 as a Consultant to the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Interagency Coordinating Committee (CFSICC), Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.  The CFSICC was chaired by Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Philip Lee.  The term was for two years.

Orvie also co-founded the National Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Council (now incorporated as the International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME) as well as the National Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Association, Kansas City, MO (name changed in 1993 to National Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Association).