Bill Text: VA HJR83 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Burn Awareness Week; first full week of February 2024 and each succeeding year thereafter.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-02-27 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ83ER) [HJR83 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR83-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, burn injuries continue to be one of the leading causes of accidental death and injury in our nation; tragically, children, the elderly, and the disabled are especially vulnerable to burn injuries and almost one-third of all burn injuries occur in children under the age of 15; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 276,086 people received medical care for the treatment of unintentional burn injuries in the United States in 2020, with 3,028 deaths from fire and smoke inhalation; of 87 hospitals reporting to the American Burn Association registry, 91,875 people were treated in hospitals for burn-related injuries with 32 percent of those being for scalds; and
WHEREAS, compared to the overall population, children under five years of age were twice as likely to be seen for burn injuries at a hospital emergency department, while young adults from age 20 to 29 had 1.4 times the risk, and those from age 30 to 39 had 1.3 times the risk of the general population; and
WHEREAS, most burn injuries occur in the home, and the primary causes of injury include fire-flame, scalds, and contact with hot objects, electrical devices, or chemicals; and
WHEREAS, today, 96.8 percent of those who suffer burn injuries will survive, but many survivors will sustain serious scarring and lifelong physical disabilities and will have difficulty adjusting after their injuries; and
WHEREAS, National Burn Awareness Week, an initiative of the American Burn Association, brings together burn, fire, and life safety educators to make the public aware of the frequency, devastation, and causes of burn injury, as well as consistent and authoritative measures available to prevent these injuries and how to best care for those who are injured; and
WHEREAS, the theme for 2024 National Burn Awareness Week is "Handle with Care, Flammable Liquids Beware," highlighting that flammable liquids pose a common risk of injury; and
WHEREAS, significant research and medical advances have dramatically improved burn care and treatment, aided rehabilitation, shortened hospital stays, and increased burn survival rates; aftercare support for the physical and emotional effects of burns has also played a key role in the successful reintegration of burn survivors into our communities, and burn safety education and prevention efforts continue to reduce the number of people who suffer burns each year; and
WHEREAS, many people devote their lives and careers to treating, caring for, supporting, and rehabilitating burn injury survivors, including those performing vital work in burn research and treatment development, dedicated firefighters who risk their own lives every day to protect others, and burn foundations and other life safety professionals who promote burn injury awareness and prevention; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate the first full week of February, in 2024 and in each succeeding year, as Burn Awareness Week in Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Evans-Haynes Burn Center at Virginia Commonwealth University Health so that members of the organization may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter; and, be it
RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this week on the General Assembly's website.
