Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation Announces Its Congressional Bone Health Champion Award Winners for 2024

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) is pleased to announce the 2024 recipients of our national award to recognize Members of Congress who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, advocacy, and commitment to protect and improve the bone health of Americans. The awards are presented annually by BHOF to highlight the importance of bone health and the osteoporosis crisis in the U.S., and the work by national leaders to advance improvements in bone health and osteoporosis policy.

The 2024 Congressional Bone Health Champion Award winners are:

• Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH): Senator Hassan has been a long-time advocate for improved women's healthcare through her work on both the Senate Finance Committee and Senate HELP Committee.
• Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): Senator Murkowski has been a long-time champion of improving osteoporosis care as a senior Member of both the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and Senate Appropriations Committee.
• Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE): Representative Blunt Rochester has been a strong advocate for women's health, introducing the WARM Act to raise awareness and improve research on menopause. She assisted in sponsoring BHOF's congressional briefing on obesity and bone health held September 23^rd, 2024.
• Representative Julia Letlow (R-LA): Representative Letlow, a member of the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, has introduced legislation that would raise awareness about osteoporosis. H. Res 806 expresses support for federal agencies to increase research, education and awareness and training about osteoporosis and other conditions associated with menopause.

"The importance of bone health and its impact on overall health and health costs is often overlooked by policymakers. We greatly appreciate these Congressional champions who have taken steps to shed light on what is a crisis in bone health. Your commitment to raising awareness and advocating for policies that support prevention, early diagnosis, and effective treatment can have a lasting impact on millions of lives," said Claire Gill, CEO of the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation.

Osteoporosis is a growing and often overlooked healthcare crisis that continues to disproportionately affect women. Currently, 10 million Americans live with osteoporosis, and 44 million more are at high risk due to low bone density. According to a 2021 report, approximately 2 million Medicare beneficiaries—70% of whom are women—suffered from up to 2.1 million osteoporotic fractures in 2016 alone. For women, the lifetime risk of an osteoporotic fracture is greater than the combined risk of heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer. The economic burden is substantial, with the total annual cost of osteoporotic fractures among Medicare beneficiaries reaching $57 billion in 2018, a figure projected to rise to over $95 billion by 2040 if preventive measures and reforms are not implemented, particularly as the population continues to age.

About the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation

The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation, formerly the National Osteoporosis Foundation, is the leading health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and broken bones, promoting strong bones for life and reducing human suffering through programs of public and clinician awareness, education, advocacy and research. Established in 1984, BHOF is the nation's largest health organization dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health. For more information on the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation, visit www.bonehealthandosteoporosis.org.

Contact: Carina May
[email protected]
Phone: 703-740-1764

SOURCE Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation