What does the National Osteoporosis Foundation do?

Established in 1984, the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization solely dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health. The mission of the National Osteoporosis Foundation is to “prevent osteoporosis and related fractures, to promote lifelong bone health, to help improve the lives of those affected by osteoporosis and to find a cure through programs of awareness, advocacy, public and health professional education and research.” The foundation aims to achieve this through programs of awareness, education and training, advocacy and research.

The following describe in greater depth the foundation and its fight against osteoporosis:

“In order to accomplish our mission – to prevent osteoporosis, to promote lifelong bone health, to help improve the lives of those affected by osteoporosis and related fractures, and to find a cure – NOF accepts support from a wide breadth of diversified sources, including individuals, foundations, government sources and corporations.

While some of these funds may be restricted to specific projects, NOF maintains its independence and objectivity in accordance with the National Health Council’s guiding principles. NOF does not endorse any particular product, service or point of view, but does inform the public about all FDA-approved therapies, as well as the availability of other appropriate products and services as part of its educational responsibility to the public and healthcare professionals.”

Source: National Osteoporosis Foundation Website, April 2008.

The foundation lives well up to its mission. The National Osteoporosis Foundation has celebrity spokespersons that try to carry the message as well as an enormous national advocacy program. Everything the foundation does is to help those suffering from osteoporosis feel supported and hopeful or to help those who are not affected, stay that way.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation is a member of the following organizations: International Osteoporosis Foundation; National Health Council and the United States Bone and Joint Decade.

Additionally, the foundation has an “Inter-specialty Medical Council” (IMC) that consists of 18 leading medical associations, representing more than 600,000 physicians. It also provides diverse and important perspective on issues of common concern around osteoporosis and bone health relating to professional practice, education and public policy. IMC members include:

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

American Academy of Pain Medicine

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

American College of Physicians

American College of Radiology

American College of Rheumatology

American Geriatrics Society

American Medical Association

American Orthopedic Association

American Osteopathic Association

American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

International Society for Clinical Densitometry

International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

National Medical Association

The Endocrine Society

For more information about all the resource links provided by the National Osteoporosis Foundation, please visit: http://www.nof.org/aboutnof/resourcelinks.htm

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Below is the excerpt from the National Osteoporosis Foundation that provides how the foundation came to be:

“In April 1984, the National Institutes of Health held a Consensus Development Conference on Osteoporosis (see bottom of page for more information). The conference panel was led by William A. Peck, MD. Dr. Peck currently serves as Director, Center for Health Policy and Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the Washington University in St. Louis.

In 1984, he was serving as Simon Professor, Washington University School of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief, The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis. The consensus panel included medical representatives of orthopedics, endocrinology, gynecology, rheumatology, epidemiology, nutrition, biochemistry, family medicine, and the general public. The panel considered current scientific knowledge on osteoporosis and agreed on answers to the following key questions:

What is osteoporosis?

What are the clinical features of osteoporosis, and how is it detected? Who is at risk for developing osteoporosis? What are the possible causes of osteoporosis? How can osteoporosis be prevented and treated? What are the directions for future research?

At the conclusion of the NIH Consensus Conference, a press briefing attended by representatives of the print and broadcast media was held. In the ensuing months there were numerous articles, newspaper stories, and television programs related to the findings announced by the consensus panel. As a result, major academic health centers nationwide received thousands of calls from patients and physicians alike who asked for more information on optimum approaches to the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

This activity led to a decision by Dr. Peck, a past president of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, to call a meeting of leading researchers in the field of osteoporosis to discuss the overwhelming public and professional interest in the disease, and to offer a strategy for responding to this broad interest. The result of this meeting led, in December 1984, to the establishment of The Osteoporosis Foundation, a national nonprofit voluntary health organization solely dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health. The organization was renamed the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) in 1985.”

Source: National Osteoporosis Foundation-- Founding and Milestones--April 2008.

What is the National Osteoporosis Foundation?

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