08-R181
2008 -- S 2983
Enacted 04/24/08
S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
PROCLAIMING THE THIRD
WEEK IN SEPTEMBER, 2008 TO BE "POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE AWARENESS
WEEK" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
Introduced By: Senator C
Levesque
Date Introduced: April 24,
2008
WHEREAS,
The noble purpose of designating the third week in September as
“Polycystic
Kidney Disease Awareness Week” is to help raise public awareness and
understanding
of polycystic kidney disease and to foster understanding of the impact this
disease
has
on patients and future generations of their families; and
WHEREAS,
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is the most prevalent life-threatening
genetic
disease in the United States. It is a severe, dominantly inherited disease that
has a
devastating
impact, in both human and economic terms, on people of all ages, and equally
affects
people
of all races, sexes, nationalities, geographic locations, and income levels;
and
WHEREAS,
It is estimated that about 600,000 patients in the United States have a
genetic
inheritance of polycystic kidney disease from one or both parents, and in
addition to the
affliction
of those patients, countless friends, loved ones, spouses and caregivers are
also affected
because
they shoulder the physical, emotional and financial burdens that PKD generates;
and
WHEREAS,
PKD is one of the four leading causes of kidney failure in the United States,
and
to date there is no cure; and
WHEREAS,
The vast majority of PKD patients reach kidney failure at an average age of
53,
causing a severe strain on dialysis and kidney transplantation resources and on
the delivery of
health
care in the United States, particularly as “baby boomers”, the largest segment
of the
population,
continue to age; and
WHEREAS,
End stage renal disease is one of the fastest growing components of the
Medicare
budget, and PKD significantly contributes to that cost by an estimated
$2,000,000,000
annually
for dialysis, kidney transplantation and related therapies; and
WHEREAS,
Polycystic kidney disease is a systemic disease that causes damage to the
kidney,
cardiovascular, endocrine, hepatic, and gastrointestinal organ systems. It
instills patients
with
fear of an unknown future with a life-threatening genetic disease, and
apprehension over
possible
genetic discrimination; and
WHEREAS,
The severity of symptoms from PKD and limited public awareness of the
disease
causes many patients to live in denial, foregoing regular visits to their
physicians or
avoiding
good health management which would help avert more severe complications when
kidney
failure occurs; and
WHEREAS,
People who have chronic, life-threatening diseases like polycystic kidney
disease
have a predisposition to depression (seven times the national average) and its
resultant
consequences
due to their anxiety over pain, suffering and premature death; and
WHEREAS,
Polycystic kidney disease is a verifiable example of how collaboration,
technological
innovation, scientific momentum, and public/private partnerships can generate
therapeutic
interventions that directly benefit PKD sufferers, save billions of dollars
under
Medicare,
Medicaid and other programs for dialysis, kidney transplants, immunosuppressant
drugs
and related therapies, and make available several thousand openings on the
kidney
transplant
waiting list; and
WHEREAS,
Improvements in diagnostic technology and the expansion of scientific
knowledge
about PKD have led to the discovery of the three primary genes that cause PKD
and
the
three primary protein products of the genes. These improvements have also led
to the
understanding
of cell structures and signaling pathways that cause cyst growth that has
produced
multiple
PKD clinical drug trials; and
WHEREAS,
There are thousands of volunteers nationwide who are dedicated to
expanding
essential research, fostering public awareness and understanding of PKD,
educating
PKD
patients and their families about the disease to improve their treatment and
care, providing
appropriate
moral support, and encouraging people to become organ donors; and
WHEREAS,
These volunteers engage in an annual national awareness event held during
the
third week of September, thus making this week an appropriate time to recognize
and promote
public
understanding for polycystic kidney disease; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
hereby
proclaims the third week in September, 2008, to be “Polycystic Kidney Disease
Awareness
Week”; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That this Senate hereby urges all Rhode Islanders and appropriate
departments
of state to join us in supporting the goals and ideals of “Polycystic Kidney
Disease
Awareness
Week” by helping to raise awareness and understanding of PKD and the impact
this
disease
has on patients and future generations of their families; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to
transmit
a duly certified copy of this resolution to Paul A. Doughty, President of the
Providence
Firefighters
Local 799 IAFF.
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LC02764
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