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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is
3an umbrella term used to describe airflow obstruction that is
4associated mainly with emphysema and chronic bronchitis; and
 
5    WHEREAS, COPD affects an estimated 24 million individuals
6in the United States and an estimated 580,000 individuals in
7Illinois; and
 
8    WHEREAS, In 2010, the National Center for Health Statistics
9released a report stating that COPD had become the third
10leading cause of death in the United States; and
 
11    WHEREAS, COPD currently accounts for 1.5 million emergency
12room visits, 699,000 hospitalizations, and 10.3 million
13physician office and hospital outpatient visits, all of which
14are detrimental to the United States economy; COPD costs the
15nation an estimated $49.9 billion in direct and indirect
16medical costs annually; and
 
17    WHEREAS, COPD affects an estimated 580,000 citizens of the
18State of Illinois, with at least as many persons who are
19estimated to be undiagnosed; Chronic Lower Respiratory
20Disease, including COPD, is the third leading cause of death in
21the State; the Respiratory Health Association is participating

 

 

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1in statewide efforts to increase early detection, improve care
2and treatment, and prevent and reduce the prevalence of the
3disease; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Research has identified a hereditary protein
5deficiency called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin; people with this
6deficiency tend to develop COPD, despite the lack of exposure
7to smoking and environmental triggers; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Women over the age of 40 are the fastest growing
9segment of the population to develop this irreversible disease,
10due in large part to the equalization of opportunity for men
11and women to smoke over the past several generations; and
 
12    WHEREAS, There is currently no cure for COPD; spirometry
13testing and medical treatments, such as pulmonary
14rehabilitation, exist to address symptom relief and possibly
15slow progression of the disease; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Until there is a cure, the best approaches to
17preventing COPD and its considerable health, societal, and
18mortality impacts lie in education, awareness, and expanded
19delivery of detection and management protocols; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The Respiratory Health Association and its
21partners from the Illinois State COPD Plan will work with the

 

 

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1Illinois Department of Public Health and other relevant
2partners to seek opportunities to promote awareness and
3treatment for COPD; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
5ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate the month
6of November as COPD Awareness Month in the State of Illinois
7and encourage others to promote education, awareness, and
8screening of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.