Bill Text: IL HR0021 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Recognizes that Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is a tragic, disabling disease that destroys the lives of many patients and takes a severe toll on their families, friends, and caretakers. Recognizes and affirms the commitment of Illinois to improving the availability and quality of medical and supportive care for ME patients. Recommends that the National Institutes of Health fund ME research at a level commensurate with similarly burdensome disease. Encourages universities in Illinois to focus research attention on this underserved disease. Recommends that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disseminate new ME medical education, updated in accordance with the National Academy of Medicine recommendations, the recommendations of the United States Department of Health and Human Services' CFS Advisory Committee, and the best practices of disease experts. Encourages media organizations to inform the public about the seriousness of the disease.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-05-09 - Resolution Adopted [HR0021 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-HR0021-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as | ||||||
3 | Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS),
has been found by the National | ||||||
4 | Academy of Medicine (NAM) to be "a serious, chronic,
complex, | ||||||
5 | and systemic disease that frequently and dramatically limits | ||||||
6 | the activities of affected
patients", leaving them with a lower | ||||||
7 | quality of life than those suffering from multiple sclerosis, | ||||||
8 | stroke, renal failure,
heart failure, and other chronic | ||||||
9 | diseases; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Between 39,000 and 99,000 of Illinois residents of | ||||||
11 | all ages, races, and genders are believed to be afflicted with | ||||||
12 | ME, with an estimated 836,000 to 2.5 million Americans | ||||||
13 | afflicted and 17 million worldwide; and
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14 | WHEREAS, ME persists for years or even decades because of a | ||||||
15 | lack of treatments, leaving one quarter of patients homebound | ||||||
16 | or bedbound, with many students unable to attend school and | ||||||
17 | 50-75% of patients unable to work at an annual cost of $17 | ||||||
18 | million to $24 million in medical expenses and lost | ||||||
19 | productivity; and
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20 | WHEREAS, The National Academy of Medicine noted a lack of | ||||||
21 | knowledge about the disease due to
a "paucity of research" and | ||||||
22 | "remarkably little research funding", and concluded that "more
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1 | research is essential"; and
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2 | WHEREAS, The National Academy of Medicine noted that the | ||||||
3 | medical community "generally still
doubts the existence or | ||||||
4 | seriousness of this disease" and patients have difficulty being
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5 | diagnosed or accessing quality medical care; therefore, be it
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6 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
7 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we: | ||||||
8 | (1) Recognize that Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is a tragic, | ||||||
9 | disabling disease that destroys the lives of many patients | ||||||
10 | and
takes a severe toll on their families, friends, and | ||||||
11 | caretakers; | ||||||
12 | (2) Recognize and affirm the commitment of Illinois to | ||||||
13 | improving the availability and quality of medical and | ||||||
14 | supportive care for ME patients; | ||||||
15 | (3) Recommend that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) | ||||||
16 | fund ME research at a level
commensurate with similarly | ||||||
17 | burdensome diseases; | ||||||
18 | (4) Encourage universities in Illinois to focus research | ||||||
19 | attention on this underserved disease; | ||||||
20 | (5) Recommend that the Centers for Disease Control and | ||||||
21 | Prevention disseminate new ME medical
education, updated | ||||||
22 | in accordance with the National Academy of Medicine | ||||||
23 | recommendations, the
recommendations of the CFS Advisory | ||||||
24 | Committee of the United States Department of Health and |
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1 | Human Services's, and the best practices of disease | ||||||
2 | experts; and | ||||||
3 | (6) Encourage media organizations to inform the public | ||||||
4 | about the seriousness of the disease.
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