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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION |
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| INTRODUCED BY HARHART, GEORGE, GODSHALL, SONNEY, SAINATO, ADOLPH, AUMENT, BOBACK, BROOKS, CALTAGIRONE, CAUSER, CLYMER, COHEN, CONKLIN, D. COSTA, DELOZIER, DeLUCA, DiGIROLAMO, ELLIS, J. EVANS, EVERETT, FLECK, GEIST, GIBBONS, GILLEN, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GROVE, HAHN, HARPER, HENNESSEY, HESS, HICKERNELL, M. K. KELLER, KILLION, KORTZ, KRIEGER, KULA, MAHONEY, MAJOR, MANN, MARSICO, MILLARD, MURT, MUSTIO, MYERS, OBERLANDER, M. O'BRIEN, O'NEILL, PEIFER, PICKETT, QUINN, READSHAW, ROCK, ROSS, SABATINA, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, CULVER, STERN, STEVENSON, SWANGER, TALLMAN, TAYLOR, THOMAS, TOOHIL, VEREB, VULAKOVICH, WATSON AND RAVENSTAHL, JANUARY 23, 2012 |
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| INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, JANUARY 23, 2012 |
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| A RESOLUTION |
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1 | Recognizing the month of January 2012 as "Cervical Cancer |
2 | Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania. |
3 | WHEREAS, Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of |
4 | cancer deaths among women worldwide; and |
5 | WHEREAS, Human papillomavirus is a primary cause of cervical |
6 | cancer; and |
7 | WHEREAS, Each year, more than 5 million people acquire human |
8 | papillomavirus, which is linked to cervical cancer in high-risk |
9 | cases; and |
10 | WHEREAS, With regular and accurate screening, cervical cancer |
11 | is highly preventable; and |
12 | WHEREAS, Widespread screening has reduced death rates from |
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1 | cervical cancer, but women are still dying despite advanced |
2 | medical techniques and evaluative procedures; and |
3 | WHEREAS, Cervical cancer rates in the United States are |
4 | affected by education, access to regular cervical cancer |
5 | screening and screening accuracy; and |
6 | WHEREAS, Experience shows that increasing cervical cancer |
7 | awareness among women, especially underserved women, |
8 | significantly reduces the probability of mortality; and |
9 | WHEREAS, Cervical cancer disproportionately affects minority |
10 | women and women with lower incomes who are less likely to have |
11 | access to routine screening; and |
12 | WHEREAS, Approximately half of all cervical cancer cases are |
13 | in women who have never been screened and 10% of cases are in |
14 | women who have not been screened within the last five years; and |
15 | WHEREAS, The median age of cervical cancer patients at |
16 | diagnosis is 47 years, the youngest median age for all female |
17 | reproductive cancers; and |
18 | WHEREAS, New screening technologies offer new opportunities |
19 | to finally eliminate cervical cancer through early |
20 | identification of women at increased risk; and |
21 | WHEREAS, These technologies include testing approved by the |
22 | Food and Drug Administration for human papillomavirus, the cause |
23 | of virtually all cervical cancers; and |
24 | WHEREAS, The United States Food and Drug Administration has |
25 | approved a vaccine for human papillomavirus, for females 9 to 26 |
26 | years of age, which prevents infection by four major types of |
27 | human papillomavirus and prevents most cases of cervical cancer; |
28 | and |
29 | WHEREAS, The National Immunization Program of the Centers for |
30 | Disease Control and Prevention and the Advisory Committee on |
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1 | Immunization Practices have jointly recommended the use of the |
2 | human papillomavirus vaccine; and |
3 | WHEREAS, Women are entitled to appropriate information |
4 | relating to cervical cancer so they may make informed health |
5 | care decisions and may access accurate screening and |
6 | vaccination; and |
7 | WHEREAS, Women in Pennsylvania, between the ages of 40 and 64 |
8 | who are uninsured may be eligible for free screening for |
9 | cervical cancer through the Department of Health's Healthy Woman |
10 | Program; and |
11 | WHEREAS, The Department of Health reports that in 2008-2009, |
12 | 6,606 women were screened for cervical cancer through the |
13 | Healthy Woman Program and 207 women were found to have cervical |
14 | dysplasia or cervical cancer; and |
15 | WHEREAS, Women in Pennsylvania under the age of 64, who are |
16 | uninsured and in need of treatment for cervical cancer or a |
17 | precancerous condition of the cervix may be eligible for full |
18 | health care benefits through the Breast and Cervical Cancer |
19 | Prevention and Treatment (BCCPT) Program of the Department of |
20 | Public Welfare; and |
21 | WHEREAS, The Commonwealth recognizes that through education |
22 | and screening, women can decrease their likelihood of developing |
23 | cervical cancer, and that with early detection, cervical cancer |
24 | can be successfully treated; therefore be it |
25 | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the |
26 | month of January 2012 as "Cervical Cancer Awareness Month" in |
27 | Pennsylvania to increase awareness, on the part of women, |
28 | families, health care providers and policymakers, of the risks, |
29 | prevalence and treatability of cervical cancer and the |
30 | importance of early access to accurate screening. |
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