Bill Text: PA HR920 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Designating the month of November 2012 as "Hydrocephalus Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 24-9)

Status: (Passed) 2012-10-16 - Adopted (197-0) [HR920 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2011-HR920-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 4208
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 920 Session of2012
INTRODUCED BY SIMMONS, DePASQUALE, ADOLPH, BAKER, BENNINGHOFF, BOBACK, BROOKS, DiGIROLAMO, EVERETT, FRANKEL, GEIST, GEORGE, GINGRICH, HARHART, HELM, HENNESSEY, LONGIETTI, MAJOR, MARSICO, MICOZZIE, MILLARD, READSHAW, ROCK, SAYLOR, SONNEY, SWANGER, VEREB, YOUNGBLOOD AND STABACK, OCTOBER 15, 2012
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, OCTOBER 15, 2012
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of November 2012 as "Hydrocephalus
Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Hydrocephalus is a congenital condition in which an
abnormal accumulation of fluid in the cerebral ventricles causes
enlargement of the skull and compression of the brain,
destroying much of the neural tissue; and
WHEREAS, There is no medical therapy to treat hydrocephalus,
and the only effective treatments are surgical; and
WHEREAS, While many people are helped by surgery, many more
need further operations to stay well, and of the more than
40,000 hydrocephalus operations performed annually, one every 15
minutes, only 30% are a patient's first surgery to treat
hydrocephalus; and
WHEREAS, The medical costs for hydrocephalus are more than $1
billion per year, yet the National Institutes of Health invests
less than $1 million per year in hydrocephalus treatment; and
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WHEREAS, Hydrocephalus affects hundreds of thousands of
Americans of every age from infants to the elderly, and it
affects people from all walks of life and every socioeconomic
background; and
WHEREAS, One to two of every 1,000 babies are born with
hydrocephalus, making it as common as Down syndrome and more
common than spina bifida or brain tumors; and
WHEREAS, Hydrocephalus is the most common reason for brain
surgery in children; and
WHEREAS, There are fewer than ten centers in the United
States specializing in treating adults with hydrocephalus; and
WHEREAS, An estimated 375,000 older Americans have normal
pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a disorder which often goes
undiagnosed and untreated; and
WHEREAS, Research suggests that treating hydrocephalus in the
elderly population would reduce United States health care
expenditures by $25,000 per patient, or $148 million, over five
years; and
WHEREAS, Mistaken placement in an extended care facility or
nursing home, for example, costs considerably more than the
minimal extra care a patient might need to stay at home after
appropriate treatment for NPH; and
WHEREAS, Hydrocephalus also goes undiagnosed and untreated in
younger adults, leading to substantial work force loss and
health care costs; and
WHEREAS, At times, doctors are understandably reticent to
take on complicated hydrocephalus cases, particularly in adults,
because little is known about the disorder; and
WHEREAS, Over the last 50 years, there has been no
significant improvement in hydrocephalus treatment and no
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progress toward prevention or cure, and research is essential;
and
WHEREAS, This Commonwealth is home to several renowned
medical institutions and other organizations working to increase
public awareness and develop new treatments that will improve
the lives of those who are afflicted with this condition;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
month of November 2012 as "Hydrocephalus Awareness Month" in
Pennsylvania and call upon all residents of this Commonwealth to
observe this month by participating in activities to raise
awareness of hydrocephalus.
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