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Nellie Duke,
Chair of the Georgia Commission
on Women and the Georgia
Osteoporosis Initiative,
welcomed participants to Georgia
and introduced Lieutenant
Governor Mark Taylor, a
long-time supporter of the
women’s commission and state
osteoporosis initiative.
Lieutenant Governor Taylor also
extended his welcome to the
participants.
Dr. Chris Recknor,
MD, medical director at United
Osteoporosis Centers in
Gainesville, Georgia, talked
about the current scope and
burden of osteoporosis and the
outlook for the future. In
addition, he focused on issues
surrounding patient adherence to
osteoporosis therapies and ways
to improve medication
adherence. He also discussed
the Bone Safety Evaluation
project in place at his office,
which evaluates osteoporosis
patients in several domains,
including cognition and
awareness, to help evaluate
their level of risk and how to
better design therapies to meet
their needs.
 At
lunch, Nellie Duke discussed her
personal connection to
osteoporosis issues and used a
series of dolls to highlight the
fact that everyone has some
connection to the disease. Her
overall message was “if it’s
good for your bones, it’s good
for every body!”
 To
highlight current osteoporosis
issues in Georgia, a panel of
local experts discussed barriers
to osteoporosis healthcare and
prevention and policies that
seek to address these
challenges.
From left to right, Mary Ann
Johnson, Sharon
Baker, and Richard Lewis.
Sharon Baker,
BSN, MN, CWHNP, Vice-Chair of
the Georgia Osteoporosis
Initiative and Founder and
President of Women’s Information
Network Inc., discussed various
projects undertaken by the
Georgia Osteoporosis
Initiative. Activities
included communications with
legislators and sponsoring a
train, the “Stop Osteoporosis
Express,” that traveled
throughout the state to raise
awareness of osteoporosis and
better bone health. She also
highlighted GOI’s outreach to
women entering menopause
emphasizing the importance of
good bone health during
menopause.
Mary Ann Johnson,
PhD, Professor of Foods and
Nutrition at the University of
Georgia, focused on the elderly
and osteoporosis. She discussed
a new fall and fracture
prevention initiative to be
launched in the state in the
near future, which will focus on
education for patients and
health care providers.
Richard Lewis,
PhD, Professor of Foods and
Nutrition at the University of
Georgia, discussed the need for
more research focused on
osteoporosis prevention through
the development of strong bones
beginning in childhood. He also
drew attention to the fact that
research is only now starting to
look at the effects of
overweight and obesity on bone
health and urged further
advocacy on prevention and
education for patients and
health care providers throughout
the life cycle. |
