2022 -- S 2834 | |
======== | |
LC005720 | |
======== | |
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022 | |
____________ | |
S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N | |
PROCLAIMING APRIL OF 2022, AS "ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH" IN THE STATE | |
OF RHODE ISLAND | |
| |
Introduced By: Senator Cynthia Armour Coyne | |
Date Introduced: April 05, 2022 | |
Referred To: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar | |
1 | WHEREAS, Alcohol Awareness Month is a public health program organized by the |
2 | National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence as a way of increasing outreach and |
3 | education regarding the dangers of alcoholism and issues related to alcohol. The program was |
4 | started in April of 1987; and |
5 | WHEREAS, The disease of addiction continues to devastate Rhode Island’s communities |
6 | and remains a public health emergency that continues to pose a significant public health and |
7 | safety threat to the State, costing hundreds of lives each year; and |
8 | WHEREAS, In addition to opioids and heroin, abuse of other dangerous substances, |
9 | including alcohol, is on the rise, and the disease of addiction is not exclusive to any one |
10 | substance; and |
11 | WHEREAS, Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic brain disorder that is characterized |
12 | by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or |
13 | health consequences and often goes untreated. The number of individuals affected by alcoholism |
14 | and AUD during the COVID-19 pandemic has risen significantly, and the dangers of excessive |
15 | alcohol use should not be ignored; and |
16 | WHEREAS, Alcohol use disorder affects every community and alcohol consumption is |
17 | the third-leading cause of preventable death in the United States, according to research conducted |
18 | in 2018; and |
19 | WHEREAS, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports |
| |
1 | that AUD was the most common substance use disorder among adults in the United States in |
2 | 2018, affecting 14.25 million people; and |
3 | WHEREAS, In 2019, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration |
4 | reported that around 58,000 Rhode Island adults qualify as suffering from alcohol use disorder |
5 | and 53,000 Rhode Island adults need, but are not receiving, AUD treatment at a specialty facility. |
6 | That means that 91.38 percent of Rhode Island adults suffering from alcohol use disorder need, |
7 | but are not receiving, AUD treatment; and |
8 | WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and |
9 | Mortality Weekly Report states that in Rhode Island there were approximately 339 alcohol |
10 | attributable deaths each year and 27.6 years of life lost per alcohol-attributable death from 2011 |
11 | to 2015; and |
12 | WHEREAS, Nationally, alcohol-related disorders are a leading cause of 7-day and 30- |
13 | day hospital readmissions. In 2013, alcohol use and dependence was the number one reason for |
14 | potentially preventable hospital readmission related to a substance use disorder initial admission |
15 | in Rhode Island; and |
16 | WHEREAS, Emergency department visits for alcohol-related diagnoses increased by 47 |
17 | percent for both men and women from 2006-2014, and the costs for such visits increased from |
18 | $4.1 billion to $15.3 billion in the same time period. In 2016, alcohol-related disorders were the |
19 | tenth most common reason among all Rhode Islanders, for a visit to a Rhode Island emergency |
20 | department. In 2014, alcohol abuse was eighth in reasons for potentially preventable emergency |
21 | department visits in Rhode Island and it was second in those covered by Medicaid; and |
22 | WHEREAS, Alcohol use has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to |
23 | RTI International, alcohol consumption, exceeding drinking guidelines, and binge drinking |
24 | increased from February 2020 to November 2020. Specialists at hospitals across the country said |
25 | rates of admissions for alcoholic liver disease have leapt by up to 50 percent since March 2020; |
26 | and |
27 | WHEREAS, A 2021 article in the Journal of General Internal Medicine stated “the full |
28 | impact of COVID-19 on alcohol use is not yet known. However, the current rise in drinking |
29 | during the acute phase of the pandemic mandates a deliberate and clear public health and medical |
30 | response and a multifaceted approach”; and |
31 | WHEREAS, Meeting people where they are in their recovery journey is a critical |
32 | component of public health and every setting of care should be aware of the signs of dangerous |
33 | alcohol use, trained in screening and assessing for, and treating, alcohol use disorder; and |
34 | WHEREAS, In December 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (Pub. L. |
| LC005720 - Page 2 of 3 |
1 | 116-260) was enacted, which included $1.65 billion in supplemental SAPT Block Grant funding |
2 | provided as part of the law’s section dedicated to COVID-19 relief; and |
3 | WHEREAS, In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 117-2) was |
4 | enacted, which included $1.5 billion in longer term supplemental SAPT Block Grant funding; |
5 | now, therefore be it |
6 | RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby commemorates April |
7 | of 2022, as “Alcohol Awareness Month” in the State of Rhode Island; and it be further |
8 | RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby respectfully requests that the Governor of the State |
9 | of Rhode Island, the Honorable Daniel McKee, the Executive Office of Health and Human |
10 | Services, the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, the |
11 | Department of Corrections, and the Department of Health prioritize increasing public and |
12 | provider awareness of the health risks associated with dangerous alcohol consumption, the |
13 | consumption of alcohol with other substances, the risks of alcohol overdose, screening and |
14 | assessing for alcohol use disorder, and the availability of treatment for alcohol use disorder in |
15 | Rhode Island, including primary care, hospital, and criminal justice settings; and be it further |
16 | RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby respectfully requests that the Governor of the State |
17 | of Rhode Island, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Department of |
18 | Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, the Department of Corrections, |
19 | and the Department of Health consider utilizing the supplemental SAPT Block Grant funding |
20 | provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act and the American Rescue Plan for these efforts; |
21 | and it be further |
22 | RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
23 | transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Daniel McKee, Governor of the |
24 | State of Rhode Island, the Secretary of the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human |
25 | Services, the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental |
26 | Disabilities and Hospitals, the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, and the |
27 | Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. |
======== | |
LC005720 | |
======== | |
| LC005720 - Page 3 of 3 |