--- title: SR 251. Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month; recognize May 2025 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr251 cite_as: SR 251, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr251 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr251.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr251/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70731 date: 2025-02-26 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr250.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr252.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr251.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 251 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-26 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Tonya Anderson - Kenya Wicks - Gail Davenport - Donzella James - Kim Jackson - Sonya Halpern - Nan Orrock - Jason Esteves - Kay Kirkpatrick - Michael Rhett - Derek Mallow - Nikki Merritt - Freddie Sims - Sheikh Rahman - Ed Harbison - Randal Mangham text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR251/2025 upstream_id: 1982054 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - osteoporosis - bone health - Medicare costs - public health awareness --- # SR 251. Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month; recognize May 2025 ## Text Senate Resolution 251 By: Senators Anderson of the 43rd, Wicks of the 34th, Davenport of the 17th, James of the 28th, Jackson of the 41st and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing May 2025 as Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, an estimated 54 million Americans have osteoporosis or low bone mass, and studies suggest that approximately 1 in 2 women and up to 1 in 4 men age 50 and older will break a bone due to osteoporosis; and WHEREAS, around 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries suffer approximately 2.1 million osteoporosis-related fractures annually, and osteoporosis-related bone fractures are responsible for more hospitalizations than heart attacks, strokes, or breast cancer; and WHEREAS, the total annual cost for osteoporosis-related fractures among Medicare beneficiaries was $57 billion in 2018, and that number is expected to grow to over $95 billion in 2040 without reforms as the population ages; and WHEREAS, in Georgia, over 48,000 Medicare beneficiaries suffered more than 56,400 osteoporosis-related fractures in 2016; and WHEREAS, an estimated 7,000 Georgians on Medicare suffered not only an initial fracture but also a subsequent fracture, resulting in estimated costs of over $131 million; and WHEREAS, osteoporosis and the broken bones it can cause are not part of normal aging. Building strong bones begins in childhood and is essential to the prevention of osteoporosis; care for our bones is important throughout our lives, but we reach our peak bone mass by early adulthood; and WHEREAS, optimum bone health and prevention of osteoporosis can be maximized by a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercise, and a healthy lifestyle with no smoking or excessive alcohol intake; and WHEREAS, osteoporosis is often called a silent disease because one cannot feel bones weakening. Breaking a bone is often the first sign of osteoporosis. Timely bone health screening, diagnosis, and treatment can help prevent fractures leading to hospitalization and nursing home stays; and WHEREAS, cost effective post-fracture care that improves care coordination has been demonstrated to reduce the number of subsequent or repeat fractures yet is not widely available or properly incentivized by Medicare; and WHEREAS, it is crucial that we raise awareness about bone health and osteoporosis among the public, health professionals, and policy makers. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize May 2025 as Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution recognizes May 2025 as Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, highlighting bone health risks and costs for older Georgians on Medicare. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate rather than a law that changes anyone's rights or duties. It recognizes May 2025 as Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month in Georgia. The resolution cites statistics on osteoporosis, including that about 54 million Americans have osteoporosis or low bone mass, and that Georgia Medicare beneficiaries suffered tens of thousands of osteoporosis-related fractures and over $131 million in related costs. It states that osteoporosis is often called a silent disease because bone weakening cannot be felt until a fracture occurs. The Senate resolves to designate the month for awareness purposes and directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and the press. ### What it does - Formally designates May 2025 as Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month in the Georgia Senate. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and the press. - Does not create any new law, funding, program, or requirement; it is a symbolic statement by the Senate. ### Who it affects The resolution mainly speaks to the general public, health professionals, and policymakers in Georgia, with specific attention to older Georgians and Medicare beneficiaries who face higher risk of osteoporosis-related fractures. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal force, it publicly highlights the health and financial toll of osteoporosis among older Georgians on Medicare, potentially raising public and policymaker attention to bone health screening and prevention. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses cite national and Georgia-specific statistics on osteoporosis prevalence, fractures, and Medicare costs. - The resolving clause recognizes May 2025 as Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month. - The final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-26) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-26) - Sponsors: Tonya Anderson, Kenya Wicks, Gail Davenport, Donzella James, Kim Jackson, Sonya Halpern, Nan Orrock, Jason Esteves, Kay Kirkpatrick, Michael Rhett, Derek Mallow, Nikki Merritt, Freddie Sims, Sheikh Rahman, Ed Harbison, Randal Mangham - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70731 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr251.md?full=1