| R 305 |
| 2021 -- H 6414 Enacted 06/10/2021 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| DESIGNATING JUNE 27TH TO BE POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS AWARENESS DAY AND THE MONTH OF JUNE AS POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS AWARENESS MONTH IN RHODE ISLAND |
Introduced By: Representatives Casimiro, Vella-Wilkinson, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Azzinaro, Filippi, and Solomon |
| Date Introduced: June 10, 2021 |
| WHEREAS, All citizens of the United States possess the basic human right to the |
| preservation of personal dignity; and |
| WHEREAS, All citizens of the United States deserve the investment of every possible |
| resource to ensure their lasting physical, mental, and emotional well-being; and |
| WHEREAS, The brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces who proudly |
| serve the United States risk their lives to protect our freedom; and |
| WHEREAS, The diagnosis, now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), was |
| first defined by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980, to commonly and more accurately |
| understand and treat veterans who had endured severe traumatic combat stress; and |
| WHEREAS, Combat stress has historically been viewed as a mental illness caused by a |
| pre-existing flaw of character and/or ability; and the word "disorder" carries a stigma that |
| perpetuates this misconception; and |
| WHEREAS, Post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) can occur after experiencing a severely |
| traumatic event and may include, but is not limited to, sexual assault, child abuse, high-impact |
| collisions and crashes, natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and military combat; and |
| WHEREAS, Post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) is a very common injury to the brain that |
| is treatable and repairable; and |
| WHEREAS, Referring to the complications from post-traumatic stress as a disorder |
| perpetuates the stigma of and bias against mental illness, and this stigma can discourage the |
| injured from seeking proper and timely medical treatment; and |
| WHEREAS, Making post-traumatic stress less stigmatizing and more honorable can |
| favorably influence those affected and encourage them to seek help without fear of retribution or |
| shame; and |
| WHEREAS, Proper and timely treatment of post-traumatic stress can diminish suicide |
| rates; and |
| WHEREAS, All citizens suffering from post-traumatic stress deserve our compassion |
| and consideration. Those who have received these wounds in action against an enemy of the |
| United States further deserve our tribute and acknowledgement; and |
| WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Department of Health and Office of Veterans Affairs |
| must continue working to educate victims of abuse, crime and natural disasters, service members, |
| veterans and their families, as well as the general public, about the causes, symptoms, and |
| treatment of post-traumatic stress injuries; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby |
| designates June 27th of 2021, to be Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day in Rhode Island, and |
| designates the Month of June to be Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Daniel McKee, Governor of the |
| State of Rhode Island, Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, Director, Rhode Department of |
| Health, and Kasim Yarn, Director, Rhode Island Office of Veterans Affairs. |
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| LC002721 |
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