Bill Text: NJ AJR50 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates November of each year as "Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-12-03 - Substituted by SJR51 [AJR50 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-AJR50-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Designates November of each year as "Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Joint Resolution designating November of each year as "Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month."
Whereas, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a term used to describe airflow obstruction that is associated mainly with chronic bronchitis and emphysema; and
Whereas, COPD affects an estimated 24 million people and kills more than 120,000 Americans every year; and
Whereas, On average, one person dies from COPD every four minutes, an alarming statistic for a disease many are unfamiliar with; and
Whereas, The National Center for Health Statistics reported that, in 2008, COPD became the third leading cause of death in the United States; and
Whereas, COPD currently accounts for a large number of emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and outpatient treatments, all of which are burdensome to medical resources and the economy of this country; and
Whereas, The American Lung Association estimates that COPD costs the nation an estimated $50 billion in direct and indirect medical costs annually; and
Whereas, Risk factors for COPD include smoking, exposure to air pollution, second-hand smoke, occupational dusts and chemicals, and a history of childhood respiratory infections; and
Whereas, Research has found that individuals with a hereditary protein deficiency called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin tend to develop COPD even without exposure to smoking or environmental triggers; and
Whereas, Recently, the death rate for women with COPD has surpassed the death rate of men with COPD, and women over the age of 40 are the fastest-growing segment of the population developing this disease due to increased numbers of women smoking over the past several generations; and
Whereas, Currently, no cure exists for COPD, although spirometry testing and medical treatments exist to relieve symptoms and possibly slow the progression of the disease; and
Whereas, According to the American Lung Association's analysis of the National Health Interview Survey, at least 294,000 New Jersey residents may be affected by chronic bronchitis or emphysema, two conditions associated with COPD; and
Whereas, Until there is a cure, preventing COPD and its considerable health, social, and financial impacts on New Jersey's citizens requires broader awareness of the disease's causes and costs and greater support for efforts related to its detection and treatment; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The month of November of each year shall be designated as "Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month" to raise awareness about this deadly disease's causes and considerable impacts on the citizens of this State and to promote improved prevention, detection, and treatment of the disease.
2. The Governor shall annually issue a proclamation recognizing November as "Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month" in New Jersey and shall call upon public officials and the citizens of this State to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs.
3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This resolution would designate November of each year as "Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month" in New Jersey to raise awareness about the causes and impacts of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and to promote improved prevention, detection, and treatment of the disease.
COPD is a term used to describe airflow obstruction that is associated with chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD has been linked to risk factors such as smoking and a hereditary protein deficiency, and the disease results in considerable health, social, and financial impacts. In 2010, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that COPD became the third leading cause of death in the United States. Currently, COPD accounts for a large number of emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and outpatient treatments in the United States, costing the nation an estimated $50 billion in direct and indirect medical costs annually.
Broader public awareness of the causes, risk factors, and impacts of COPD is an important step toward preventing the disease and encouraging support for policies and practices that improve the detection and treatment of COPD.
