Bone and Joint Decade celebrates October 12-20, 2008

National Action Week, sponsored by the Bone and Joint Decade (BJD), is held worldwide every year from Oct. 12-20. The USBJD is part of this global, multidisciplinary initiative targeting the care of people with musculoskeletal conditions. Its focus is on improving quality of life as well as advancing the understanding and treatment of those conditions through research, prevention, and education.

The following four special focus days are held during the week:

Oct. 12—World Arthritis Day

Oct. 16—World Spine Day

Oct. 17—World Trauma Day

Oct. 20—World Osteoporosis Day

Kimberly J. Templeton, MD, chair of the AAOS US Bone and Joint Decade Committee, encourages her colleagues to get involved.

“As orthopaedic surgeons, we can make a real difference in the towns and communities where we practice,” she says. “Whether you are starting a new practice or are trying to ‘give back’ to the community you have been a part of for many years, the USBJD Public Education Committee has developed all the resources you need—PowerPoint presentations, brochures, and other educational materials.”

The National Action Week Tool Kit can be found at www.usbjd.org/rd/?NAW

Toby King is executive director of the USBJD. He can be reached at tobyking@usbjd.org