[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 744 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 744

    Expressing support for designation of the month of May 2026 as 
            ``Osteoporosis Prevention and Awareness Month''.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 20, 2026

 Ms. Collins submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

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                               RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing support for designation of the month of May 2026 as 
            ``Osteoporosis Prevention and Awareness Month''.

Whereas osteoporosis is a highly prevalent and costly chronic disease that 
        causes bones to weaken and fractures to be more likely;
Whereas an estimated 54,000,000 people of the United States have osteoporosis or 
        low bone mass that increases their risk for osteoporosis;
Whereas approximately 1 in 2 women and up to 1 in 4 men age 50 and older will 
        break a bone due to osteoporosis;
Whereas these fractures lead to more than 500,000 hospital admissions, 800,000 
        emergency room visits, 2,500,000 office visits, and nearly 180,000 
        nursing home admissions in the United States each year;
Whereas osteoporosis has significant consequences on older adults, with 
        approximately 1,800,000 Medicare beneficiaries suffering approximately 
        2,100,000 osteoporotic fractures every year;
Whereas osteoporosis is one of the costliest chronic diseases with the total 
        national annual cost of osteoporotic fractures among Medicare 
        beneficiaries estimated at $57,000,000,000 and projected to rise over 
        $95,000,000,000 in 2040 as the population ages;
Whereas osteoporotic fractures have been cited as a significant factor in opioid 
        addiction rates among seniors as 23 percent of hip fracture patients 
        became chronic opioid users after surgery;
Whereas osteoporosis is a ``silent'' disease because many people do not have 
        symptoms and may not even know they have the disease until they break a 
        bone;
Whereas only 8 percent of people are screened for osteoporosis within 6 months 
        of a fracture, only about 20 percent of hip fracture patients receive 
        medication proven to greatly reduce the risk of a second fracture, and 
        few who suffer fractures receive model post-fracture care proven to 
        reduce subsequent fracture risk; and
Whereas it is crucial to raise awareness about osteoporosis and bone health 
        among the public of the United States and health professionals: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates May 2026 as ``Osteoporosis Prevention and 
        Awareness Month'';
            (2) affirms the dedication of the Senate to--
                    (A) raising awareness among the public and health 
                professionals about the importance of bone health 
                throughout a person's lifespan and steps that can be 
                taken to reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures; and
                    (B) reducing the toll that osteoporosis and 
                osteoporotic fractures take on individuals, the United 
                States, and taxpayers; and
            (3) commends the dedication of the States, localities, 
        family members, friends, organizations, volunteers, 
        researchers, and caregivers across the United States who are 
        working to raise awareness about bone health and osteoporosis, 
        provide optimal care for those with osteoporosis, and reduce 
        the toll osteoporosis takes on the United States.
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