Bill Text: CA ACR98 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended


Bill Title: Public health: Human Papillomavirus, screenings, and vaccinations.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 56-18-1)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-09-10 - Ordered to inactive file by unanimous consent. [ACR98 Detail]

Download: California-2021-ACR98-Amended.html

Amended  IN  Senate  August 23, 2021

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Concurrent Resolution
No. 98


Introduced by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Arambula, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Bryan, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Megan Dahle, Daly, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Lorena Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nguyen, O’Donnell, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Rendon, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Seyarto, Smith, Stone, Ting, Valladares, Villapudua, Voepel, Waldron, Ward, and Akilah Weber)
(Coauthors: Senators Caballero, Kamlager, Leyva, and Rubio)

July 12, 2021


Relative to Public Health.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


ACR 98, as amended, Aguiar-Curry. Public health: Human Papillomavirus, screenings, and vaccinations.
This measure would designate the month of August 2021 as “HPV-Attributable Cancers, Screening, and Vaccination Awareness Month” in the State of California. The measure would encourage all Californians, the State Department of Public Health, and the State Department of Health Care Services to observe the month and appropriate activities that support prevention, including promoting screening and educational outreach to all eligible Californians, increasing the awareness of HPV-attributable cancer and prevention measures within the medical and public health community, and implementing programs to raise awareness about the causes and symptoms of, and prevention measures for, HPV-attributable cancers.
Fiscal Committee: NO  

WHEREAS, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), is the leading cause of cervical cancer and oropharyngeal (throat) cancers. HPV is linked with more than 90 percent of anal and cervical cancers, about 70 percent of vaginal, vulvar, and oropharyngeal cancers, and 60 percent of penile cancers; and
WHEREAS, HPV is estimated to cause nearly 36,000 cases of cancer in men and women every year in the United States. HPV vaccination can prevent more than 32,000 of these cancers from ever developing by preventing the infections that cause those cancers; and
WHEREAS, Hispanic women have the highest risk of developing cervical cancer, about one and one-half times higher than non-Hispanic white and Asian/Pacific Islander women. African American women have the second highest risk of developing cervical cancer and are more likely to die of cervical cancer than any other group. These statistics underscore the importance of increased education within these communities; and
WHEREAS, About 3,300 HPV-attributable cancer cases are diagnosed each year in California. That means approximately 10 percent of the nation’s HPV-attributable cancers occur among Californians, the results of which may include early death, poor quality of life, loss of productivity, and substantial health care costs; and
WHEREAS, Between 9 to 12 years of age is the optimal age range to receive the HPV vaccine series to protect against certain diseases and cancers attributable to HPV infection; and
WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted routine vaccination and has specifically resulted in a concerning deficit for routine adolescent vaccinations such as HPV. Prepandemic, HPV vaccination generally lags other routine adolescent vaccinations, such as the meningitis vaccine, and the pandemic threatens to widen this gap. As of late 2020, there was a deficit of over 2,000,000 doses of the HPV vaccine compared to 2019; and
WHEREAS, Data suggests our underserved populations are being disproportionally impacted by the pandemic. Emerging data indicates that recovery of routine vaccination for children insured through Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program is lagging behind children who are commercially insured, creating further disparities in vaccination coverage; and
WHEREAS, If not addressed, this trend could expose our community to vaccine-preventable diseases as well as associated illness, death, and certain cancers, and exacerbate existing disparities in care. As a result, there is a pressing need to ensure adolescents receive their wellness visits and receive past due or currently due routine vaccinations; and
WHEREAS, The American Cancer Society recommends that all people with cervixes begin cervical cancer screening at 21 25 years of age. Cervical cancer screening tests offer the best chance to detect precancerous changes; and
WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has further disrupted cervical cancer screening rates, particularly in California. Cervical cancer screening rates in Kaiser Permanente Southern California decreased 80 percent compared to prepandemic rates; and
WHEREAS, In October 2018, the American Cancer Society and the California Dialogue on Cancer cofounded the California HPV Vaccination Roundtable to mobilize collective action to prevent HPV-associated cancers by increasing HPV vaccination coverage in California. The roundtable is a coalition of diverse stakeholders who adopted the American Cancer Society’s Mission: HPV Cancer Free goal of 80 percent HPV vaccination completion coverage for children 13 years of age by 2026, which will be the 20-year anniversary of the FDA’s approval of the first HPV vaccine; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates the month of August every year as “HPV-Attributable Cancers, Screening, and Vaccination Awareness Month” in the State of California and encourages all Californians, the State Department of Public Health, and the State Department of Health Care Services to observe the month and appropriate activities that support prevention, including promoting screening and educational outreach to all eligible Californians, increasing the awareness of HPV-attributable cancer and prevention measures within the medical and public health community, and implementing programs to raise awareness about the causes and symptoms of, as well as prevention measures for, HPV-attributable cancers; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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