National Safety Council News Release, Mar. 1, 2002

For Immediate Release
March 1, 2002
Contact: Todd Briggs
(202) 293-2270, ext. 477 

National Safety Council Seeks Congressional Support for the *Elder Fall Prevention Act of 2002*
Washington, DC -- The National Safety Council (NSC) will send a delegation of officials to Capitol Hill on March 5 to urge legislators to support the *Elder Fall Prevention Act of 2002.*  The bill introduced on February 7 by Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-AR) and Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and strongly supported by the NSC, addresses the problem of falls among America's elder population.  Joining Sen. Hutchinson as bill cosponsors are Sen. Barbara Mikulski, of Maryland, and Sen. Mike Enzi, of Wyoming.

Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths among people over 65. Sixty percent of fall-related deaths occur among persons 75 and older. One fourth of elderly persons who sustain a hip fracture die within one year.  NSC President Alan C. McMillan said, *We are sending this delegation to Capital Hill because it is very important to our society that congressional leaders show their support for this bill on behalf of our aging population. The National Safety Council wholeheartedly supports the 'Elder Fall Prevention Act of 2002' because it will reduce the numbers of fall-related injuries and deaths and also reduce related costs to individuals and our nation as a whole. 

*With 37,500 member organizations and 50 local and regional chapters across the country,* McMillan said, *the Congressionally chartered National Safety Council, has enormous resources and stands ready to help implement the provisions of this legislation.*

At a Washington press conference introducing the bill, Sen. Hutchinson said, "The Congressionally chartered National Safety Council, a leader in fall prevention efforts will be spearheading several of these Bill*s initiatives, along with the Centers for Disease Control, the Administration on Aging, the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, and other qualified organizations.* 

Rep. Pallone said, "We can and should take action now to address this issue so troubling to so many of our elderly constituents. Our legislation would create effective pre-fall and post-fall interventions to reduce the incidence of falls and mitigate their impacts." 

The NSC was chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953 "to organize, establish, and conduct programs for the education of all persons in safety methods and procedures." 
                          # # #