| R 307 |
| 2025 -- H 6342 Enacted 05/15/2025 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| PROCLAIMING THE MONTH OF MAY TO BE "ASTHMA AND ALLERGY AWARENESS MONTH" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
Introduced By: Representatives Edwards, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Bennett, Ackerman, Ajello, Shallcross Smith, Fogarty, and Fellela |
| Date Introduced: May 15, 2025 |
| WHEREAS, Approximately 4.9 million children in the United States currently have |
| asthma; and |
| WHEREAS, Nearly 28 million people in the United States, have asthma and the numbers |
| are increasing each year; and |
| WHEREAS, Nearly 125,000 adults and children in Rhode Island have asthma; and |
| WHEREAS, Providence ranks 10th in the nation as the most challenging city to live in |
| with asthma by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America; and |
| WHEREAS, Asthma is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases among |
| children; and |
| WHEREAS, 1.5 million individuals per year visit emergency departments because of |
| asthma's effects; and |
| WHEREAS, Asthma is a leading cause of hospitalizations and school absences due to a |
| chronic disease among children; and |
| WHEREAS, The total economic cost of asthma in the United States was $81,900,000,000 |
| per year from 2008 to 2013; and |
| WHEREAS, Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous individuals in the United States face the |
| highest burden of asthma; and |
| WHEREAS, Asthma is a manageable disease that claimed the lives of over 3,500 people |
| in the United States in 2021; and |
| WHEREAS, People with asthma and food allergies need access to affordable health |
| insurance and to the medications and devices they need at affordable prices; and |
| WHEREAS, 20,300,000 people in the United States have food allergies, including |
| approximately 4,300,000 children; |
| WHEREAS, Food allergies have increased among U.S. children over the past 20 years, |
| with the greatest increase in Black children; and |
| WHEREAS, Children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to have |
| asthma or other allergic diseases; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby |
| proclaims the Month of May to be "Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month" in the State of Rhode |
| Island. This House also urges the people of the State of Rhode Island to observe this month with |
| appropriate ceremonies and activities; 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 Kenneth Mendez, President and CEO of the |
| Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). |
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| LC002852 |
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