Between 1974 and 1976, school nurses in Montreal screened 26,947 children in grades seven and eight for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Of these, 4.6% had scoliosis positively diagnosed by radiographic examination; 4.5% were idiopathic in nature. The nurses were part of the Shriners School Scoliosis Program--a program that has proven to be a clinically sound, cost effective way of detecting early scoliosis, providing consistent follow-up and treatment and preventing progression of the condition. What follows is a description of how cooperation and planning among existing health institutions can make a preventive program work.