Rheumatologist Kate T. Queen, MD, PA and MedWest-Haywood Osteoporosis Center win national recognition for work with fall risk assessments and routine bone density testing

6/12/2012

Rheumatologist Kate T. Queen, MD, PA and MedWest-Haywood Osteoporosis Center win national recognition for work with fall risk assessments and routine bone density testing

Clyde, N.C. – Rheumatologist Kate T. Queen, MD, PA and the MedWest-Haywood Osteoporosis Center in Clyde have won national recognition for their work with the integration of fall risk assessment into routine bone density testing. 

At the recent annual meeting of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry in Los Angeles, Queen and her team at the MedWest-Haywood Osteoporosis Center won the Best Clinical Abstract award for their work. 

Since August 1986, Queen has worked as a rheumatologist with Mountain Medical Associates LLP, an established, multi-specialty healthcare practice in Clyde that is part of the MedWest Physician Network. 

For more than 20 years, the MedWest-Haywood Osteoporosis Center has played a leadership role in the delivery of bone health services. Designed as a comprehensive regional referral center, the MedWest-Haywood Osteoporosis Center is committed to providing guidance about the evaluation, prevention and management of osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease that affects 25 million Americans. 

The MedWest-Haywood Osteoporosis Center offers a range of osteoporosis services, including risk assessment, nutritional counseling with a dietician, physical therapy, a nurse educator, and an exercise specialist. 

The MedWest-Haywood Osteoporosis Center is unique in its strong focus on the non-pharmacologic management of bone health and fracture risk reduction. For the past two years, all individuals referred to the center for a bone health assessment have received not only a bone density study but also have undergone a screening test to evaluate their risk of falling. 

Individuals identified to be at an increased risk for fractures due to low bone mass or fall risk are encouraged to join the Bone Connections program, a multidisciplinary outpatient program offering knowledge and skills to prevent fractures which often lead to loss of independence and can result in early death. 

To further support bone health, the MedWest Health & Fitness Center on the campus of MedWest-Haywood also offers a variety of ongoing physical activity programs, including tai chi, a group exercise program called Bones and Balance, and yoga for those with low bone density. In-depth evaluations of mobility and balance disturbance are also available through MedWest-Haywood’s outpatient physical therapy department. 

For more about the various programs available for patients interested in bone health and fall risk management, call the MedWest-Haywood Osteoporosis Center at (828) 452-8850. 


Photo caption: From left, Mary Underwood, RN, CBDT, rheumatologist Kate T. Queen, MD, PA, Beth Worsham and Cherie Jeannie Shaffer, RN, CBDT celebrate the MedWest-Haywood Osteoporosis Center's recent national recognition of their work with the integration of fall risk assessment into routine bone density testing.