| R 082 |
| 2017 -- H 5812 Enacted 03/01/2017 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| PROCLAIMING THE MONTH OF MARCH, 2017, AS "BLEEDING DISORDERS AWARENESS MONTH" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
| Introduced By: Representatives Blazejewski, Maldonado, Kazarian, Casimiro, and |
| Date Introduced: March 01, 2017 |
| WHEREAS, In March of 2016, The United States Department of Health and Human |
| Services approved the inclusion of Bleeding Disorders Month on its National Observances |
| Calendar. Subsequently, March of each year is now officially recognized nationally as "Bleeding |
| Disorders Awareness Month" in the United States; and |
| WHEREAS, This designation formalized and expanded upon the designation 31 years |
| ago of March, 1986, as "Hemophilia Awareness Month" by President Ronald Reagan; and |
| WHEREAS, These bleeding disorders, which share the inability to form a proper blood |
| clot, are characterized by extended bleeding and can lead to significant morbidity and can be fatal |
| if not treated effectively; and |
| WHEREAS, Many individuals with hemophilia became infected with HIV and Hepatitis |
| C in the 1980s due to the contamination of the blood supply and blood products; and |
| WHEREAS, This Awareness Month will generate greater awareness and understanding |
| of not only hemophilia but all inheritable bleeding disorders, including von Willebrand Disease, |
| which alone impacts an estimated one percent of the United States population or more than 3.2 |
| million individuals; with an estimated 10,000 individuals suffering from these disorders in Rhode |
| Island; and |
| WHEREAS, This Awareness Month will foster a greater sense of community and shared |
| purpose among individuals with all inheritable bleeding disorders; and |
| WHEREAS, This Awareness Month will elevate awareness of and engagement in the |
| inheritable bleeding disorders journey beyond our community to the general public, enabling the |
| prevention of illness, unnecessary procedures, and disability; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and |
| Providence Plantations hereby proclaims March, 2017, as "Bleeding Disorders Awareness |
| Month" in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Richard Pezzillo, Executive Director, New |
| England Hemophilia Association. |
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| LC000455 |
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