The Amputee Coalition of America, Knoxville, Tenn, will soon host the inaugural Limb Loss Task Force Summit, an event that aims to enhance the lives of amputees and increase limb loss prevention.

Scheduled for April 16 to 18 in Washington, the event will bring together experts from the health care and research communities to discuss amputee patient care and policy initiatives, and funding and implementation resources that will provide the country with a concrete agenda to help reduce limb loss and improve the care provided to people living with limb loss. 
 
“Today, there are nearly 2 million people in the United States living with limb loss, and that number is expected to rise to 3.6 million by 2050, due largely in part to the growing number of people with diabetes—a preventable disease in which complications can lead to limb amputation,” said Kendra Calhoun, president and CEO of the organization. She added that that summit is a "huge step toward developing a systematic framework to guide limb loss-related public policies, programs, and services, and increase efforts to enhance the quality of life of those with limb loss.”
 
During its 2-day meeting, five major issues will be considered:

  • Identifying the major gaps in information about limb loss prevention health
  • Determining the major gaps in information about the quality of life for people affected by limb loss
  • Defining the major needs in terms of services, programs, and policies that would improve health and quality of life for people affected by limb loss
  • Examining opportunities to develop new research initiatives, services, and policies surrounding limb loss prevention and salvage that would improve the quality of life for people affected by limb loss
  • Exploring what resources exist for limb loss in the public health arena, and what resources will be needed in the next several years

After the summit, the task force will continue to play a key role in implementing initiatives designed to continue to raise awareness about limb loss and limb loss prevention. By 2015, the Amputee Coalition and task force hope to develop a national limb loss registry to provide knowledge that will advance limb loss prevention and reduce costs associated with limb loss. They also hope to launch a national limb-loss prevention campaign to raise awareness about limb-loss risk factors.

To that end, the Amputee Coalition has asked Congress to designate April as National Limb Loss Awareness Month, a resolution now sponsored by Rep John Duncan (R-Tenn).

For more information about the event or the Amputee Coalition, click here

[Source: Amputee Coalition of America]