New Spin on Spine – Introducing Decade of the Spine Initiative

Disorders of the spine represent one of the largest public health problems in the United States, costing billions of dollars each year. As the population ages, the incidence of spinal disorders will continue to grow, adding to the already overburdened healthcare delivery system. The Decade of the Spine was initiated to promote awareness of the spine, spine care and spine research.

Spawned in part by the Bone and Joint Decade initiative, the Decade of the Spine campaign was conceptualized, developed, and nurtured by the Council of Spine Societies (COSS), in conjunction with the North American Spine Society (NASS), the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). Conceived to build also on the successes of the Decade of the Brain, the Decade of the Spine campaign will highlight the many aspects of spinal disease and serve to provide a framework within which the lives of citizens will be enhanced. Over the course of the decade, this major spine initiative will meet its mission “to improve the quality of spinal care worldwide.”

One Mission, Two Components
The Decade of the Spine campaign encompasses two major components: the Decade of the Spine advocacy, visibility and education efforts, and World Spine II, a second international spine meeting.

Decade of the Spine: To enhance the visibility of the spine and spine care, NASS, AANS and CNS are taking a multifaceted approach that includes:

• Government Advocacy: Increasing funding for spine research; ensuring patients direct access to spine specialists through legislation; and improving the process for approval of new spine related technology.
  
  
• Public Awareness: Engaging in a public relations, marketing and education campaign; and creating patient information and brochures, such as the AANS/CNS “Getting SMART with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis” campaign, which was launched in September 1997.
  
  
• Provider Education: Reaching out to physicians through scientific meetings and journals.

World Spine II:
World Spine I has its roots in the successful World Spine I meeting, which was spearheaded by Mario Brock, MD, of Munich, and held in Berlin, Germany, in July 2000. Sponsored by the AANS/CNS Section on Spine and Peripheral Nerves and the NASS, World Spine II is planned for Chicago, Ill., in the Summer of 2004 or 2005.

Spinning the Image
The logos for Decade of the Spine and World Spine II embody the respective visions, as well as meaningful histories, of the two programs. The World Spine II logo is a minor modification of the World Spine I logo. It features a red “S,” representing the spine, superimposed over a globe. The Decade of the Spine features an athlete supporting the globe with the red “S”of the World Spine II logo incorporated as the spine of the athlete.

How Can Spine Surgeons Participate?
Spine surgeons are encouraged to employ the Decade of the Spine logo on their letterhead and business cards to help promote awareness of the initiative. The logo can be downloaded from https://www.neurosurgery.org or from https://www.spine.org. Throughout the decade, there will be additional opportunities for spine surgeons to participate in Decade if the Spine, including lobbying members of Congress, attending the World Spine II meeting, and distributing patient education materials, as well as pursuing and enhancing avenues for spine and spinal cord research and research funding.

Edward Benzel, MD, is chairman of COSS; Eric Muehlbauer, MD, is executive director of COSS. Katie Orrico, JD, is director of the AANS/CNS Washington Office.