Bill Text: NJ AJR58 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates third week in January of each year as "Teen Cancer Awareness Week."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-10-25 - Substituted by SJR14 (SCS) [AJR58 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-AJR58-Introduced.html
No. 58
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED SEPTEMBER 20, 2010
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman LOUIS D. GREENWALD
District 6 (Camden)
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Designates third week in January of each year as "Teen Cancer Awareness Week."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Joint Resolution designating the third week in January of each year as "Teen Cancer Awareness Week."
Whereas, Cancer among adolescents is rare, but is still the leading cause of death from disease in teenagers between 15 and 19 years of age; and
Whereas, While teens should receive treatment at pediatric hospitals, only one third of adolescent cancer patients are treated at pediatric oncology centers, and when they are, they often feel out of place because they are too old to be mixed in with younger children and because most pediatric oncology programs focus on the clinical and psychosocial needs of younger patients; and
Whereas, Alternatively, when teen cancer patients receive treatment in adult cancer facilities, they feel out of place because they are too young to be treated as adults and account for only one percent of the population treated by medical oncologists; and
Whereas, Teens with cancer are thus stranded between two medical systems, neither of which adequately addresses their clinical and psychosocial needs; and
Whereas, While the five-year survival rates of children with cancer have increased in the last 20 years, survival rates for teenagers and young adults with cancer are dismally low in comparison. The disparity is partly due to the fact that 40 percent of cancer patients 14 and younger are enrolled in clinical trials, compared with an average of only nine percent of cancer patients between the ages of 15 and 24; and
Whereas, Teens with cancer have unique concerns about their education, social lives, body image, and infertility, among other things, and their needs too often are not understood or acknowledged; and
Whereas, Many adolescent cancer survivors have difficulty re-adjusting to school and social settings, and experience anxiety, and in some cases face increased learning difficulties; and
Whereas, There exists an undeniable need to not only understand the biology and clinical needs of teens with cancer, but also increase awareness in the larger community about the unique challenges facing teens with cancer; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey
1. The third week in January of each year is designated as "Teen Cancer Awareness Week" in the State of New Jersey in order to promote awareness about teen cancers and the unique medical and social needs of teens with cancer.
2. The Governor shall annually issue a proclamation calling upon public officials and the citizens of New Jersey to observe the week with appropriate activities and programs, which promote awareness about teens with cancer.
3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill designates the third week in January of each year as "Teen Cancer Awareness Week" in the State of New Jersey in order to promote awareness about teens with cancer and their unique medical and social needs.
In the clinical setting, teens often feel out of place at pediatric oncology centers, where most programs focus on the needs of younger patients. They are more out of place at adult cancer facilities, where they account for only one percent of the population treated by medical oncologists. In addition, teens with cancer have unique concerns about their education, social lives, body image, and infertility, among other things, and many teen cancer survivors have difficulty re-adjusting to school and in social settings. Because their unique needs too often are not understood or acknowledged, it is important to increase awareness in the larger community about the unique challenges facing teens with cancer.
This bill directs the Governor to annually issue a proclamation calling upon public officials and the citizens of New Jersey to observe the week with appropriate activities and programs, which promote awareness about teens with cancer.
