Sally Field addresses members of Congress about osteoporosis during national osteoporosis awareness month

Actress Sally Field took her campaign to raise awareness around osteoporosis and bone health to Capitol Hill today, calling on women in Congress to take steps to protect their own health and to help spread the word to their constituents.

“Osteoporosis and low bone mass is a national health issue, threatening more than 44 million Americans age 50 and older,2” Field said. But once detected, the disease is treatable and even reversible.3

“Any woman can find herself at risk for osteoporosis at some point in her life,” said Field, whose bone mineral density (BMD) test after a year on a prescription medication showed that her progression of osteoporotic bone loss had stopped.“But we can start to shift the odds in our favor by rallying together and challenging ourselves and each other to take care of the health of our bones.”

Field is urging the women of Congress to learn more about the Rally With Sally For Bone HealthSM campaign, sponsored by Roche and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which encourages women to protect themselves against fractures so they can remain active and reduce their risk of a debilitating injury. By visiting the campaign’s Web site, www.BoneHealth.com, women can sign up for the “Start Right, Stay Strong” Challenge. The Challenge includes tips and suggestions on how women can keep their bones healthy by getting a BMD test, getting adequate calcium and vitamin D, exercising regularly, and taking medicine as directed by their doctor.

Field is kicking off the second stage of her osteoporosis awareness program, in which she continues to encourage women to join the Rally With Sally campaign by asking the members of Congress to bring her message back to their constituents. To date, tens of thousands of women have already signed up to join Sally’s campaign and promised to do the right things for their bone health.

To receive more information about osteoporosis, please call toll-free 877-BoneHealth (877-266-3432) or log onto www.BoneHealth.com.