Bill Text: DE HCR134 | 2023-2024 | 152nd General Assembly | Draft

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Bill Title: Designating May As National Critical Care Awareness And Recognition Month.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-4)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-16 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 2 ABSENT [HCR134 Detail]

Download: Delaware-2023-HCR134-Draft.html

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SPONSOR:	Rep. Griffith & Sen. Huxtable
Reps. Bush, Carson, Heffernan, Parker Selby, Romer, Yearick; Sen. Hocker

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 134

DESIGNATING MAY AS NATIONAL CRITICAL CARE AWARENESS AND RECOGNITION MONTH.

WHEREAS, critical care is medical care for people who are experiencing life-threatening injuries or illnesses and usually takes place in an intensive care unit (ICU); and

WHEREAS, individuals being treated by critical care specialists may suffer from a variety of conditions including severe burns; COVID-19; heart attack; heart failure; kidney failure; surgery recovery; respiratory failure; sepsis; severe bleeding; shock; stroke; serious infections; and serious injuries, such as from car crashes, falls, and shootings; and

WHEREAS, patients in the ICU are very sick and are often connected to many monitors that allow healthcare professionals to monitor their vital signs on a minute-to-minute basis; and

WHEREAS, patients often have intravenous tubes (IVs) in their arms and neck so that medications and fluids can be delivered directly into their veins; and

WHEREAS, some patients are also connected to life support machines and receive sedating medications in order to tolerate the tubes, IVs, or life support; and

WHEREAS, critical care emphasizes a coordinated team-based approach to care which can include intensivists, resident physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered dietitians, respiratory therapists, vascular access specialists, physical and occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and nurses; and

WHEREAS, critical care professionals are dedicated and are always working in a high-pressure environment, not knowing what to expect from one moment to the next, and as a result, they must always be vigilant and able to react instantly to changes or crises; and

WHEREAS, critical care professionals frequently encounter loss and heartbreak because they care for some of the most at-risk patients; thus, on top of the high standard of medical care they provide, they often play the roles of counselor and comforter to families by offering support, information, proximity, and assurance; and

WHEREAS, doctors undergo extensive training to earn a certification in critical care medicine that is jointly administered by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Surgery, the American Board of Pediatrics, and the American Board of Anesthesiology; and

WHEREAS, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) represents over 16,000 highly trained professionals in more than 100 countries who provide care in specialized units and work toward the best possible outcomes for all critically ill and injured patients; and

WHEREAS, more than 5 million patients are admitted annually to United States ICUs for intensive or invasive monitoring; support of airway, breathing, or circulation; stabilization of acute or life-threatening medical problems; comprehensive management of injury or illness; and maximization of comfort for dying patients; and

WHEREAS, in Delaware, acute care hospitals provide over 400,000 emergency visits and treat over 10,000 individuals per year; and

WHEREAS, critical care medicine assists individuals of all ages from newborns born prematurely to elderly patients suffering from infections; and

WHEREAS, Delawareans are fortunate to have access to several types of critical care units including neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), cardiac intensive care units (CICUs), pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), and neuro critical care units (NCCUs), among others.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the 152nd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, acknowledges the unwavering and inspiring commitment of critical care clinicians worldwide.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the General Assembly hereby designates May as “National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month” in the State of Delaware.

SYNOPSIS

This House Concurrent Resolution designates May as National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month in the state of Delaware.