S.Res. 744

[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''.

_______________________________________________________________________

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

_______________________________________________________________________

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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