In 1981, a Governor's Task Force on Arthritis was established to study the arthritis burden in Maryland, and a Maryland Commission on Arthritis and Related Diseases was subsequently appointed by the Governor in 1985, followed by the State Advisory Council on Arthritis and Related Diseases in 1989 under the direction of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH). In 2002, an amendment was passed to establish an Arthritis Prevention and Control Program in DHMH, and to revise some power and duties of the members of the Council.