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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 661 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 661

  Supporting the goals and ideals of National Spina Bifida Awareness 
                                 Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 15, 2008

     Mr. Dodd (for himself and Mr. Wicker) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
                          Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Supporting the goals and ideals of National Spina Bifida Awareness 
                                 Month.

Whereas spina bifida is the most common, permanently disabling birth defect;
Whereas spina bifida occurs during the first month of pregnancy and leaves a 
        permanent opening in the spinal column that subsequently impacts nearly 
        every organ system;
Whereas an estimated 70,000 to 130,000 people in the United States currently 
        live with spina bifida;
Whereas all women of childbearing age are at risk of having a spina bifida 
        affected pregnancy;
Whereas an estimated 70 percent of neural tube defects such as spina bifida can 
        be prevented if a woman consumes adequate amounts of folic acid, which 
        is found in most over-the-counter multivitamins and foods rich in folate 
        such as spinach, prior to becoming pregnant;
Whereas Hispanic women are at the highest risk, between 1.5 and 2 times higher 
        than non-Hispanic whites, of delivering a baby with spina bifida or 
        another neural tube defect, yet are the least likely to consume 
        sufficient amounts of folic acid prior to becoming pregnant;
Whereas people with spina bifida face unprecedented medical complications 
        associated with aging because people with spina bifida are living longer 
        than people with spina bifida in previous generations lived and care for 
        spina bifida is complex and involves myriad clinical specialists;
Whereas a 2005 nationwide survey of spina bifida clinics revealed that the 
        current system of care serving people with spina bifida does not fully 
        meet current or anticipated needs and physicians have little evidence-
        based research about spina bifida on which to build neurological, 
        orthopedic, or urologic treatment regimens and interventions;
Whereas the National Spina Bifida Program, administered by the Centers for 
        Disease Control and Prevention, exists to improve the health, well 
        being, and overall quality of life for the individuals and families 
        affected by spina bifida through numerous programmatic components, 
        including the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry and critical 
        quality of life research in spina bifida;
Whereas the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry helps to improve the quality 
        of care, to reduce morbidity and mortality from spina bifida, and to 
        increase the efficiency of, and decrease the cost of, care by supporting 
        the collection of longitudinal treatment data, developing quality 
        measures and treatment standards of care and best practices, identifying 
        centers of excellence in spina bifida, evaluating the clinical and cost 
        effectiveness of the treatment of spina bifida, and exchanging evidence-
        based information among health care providers across the country; and
Whereas October has been designated as ``National Spina Bifida Awareness Month'' 
        to increase awareness of spina bifida, of ways to prevent spina bifida, 
        and of the need for increased funding to support improving evidence-
        based research and enhancing the quality of life of those living with 
        spina bifida: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Spina Bifida 
        Awareness Month and of national organizations working for 
        people with spina bifida;
            (2) recognizes the importance of--
                    (A) highlighting the occurrence of spina bifida;
                    (B) recognizing the struggles and successes of 
                people who live with spina bifida; and
                    (C) advancing efforts to decrease the incidence of 
                spina bifida;
            (3) supports the ongoing development of the National Spina 
        Bifida Patient Registry to improve lives through research and 
        to improve the treatment of spina bifida in both children and 
        adults;
            (4) recognizes that there is a continued need for a 
        commitment of resources for efforts to reduce and prevent 
        disabling birth defects like spina bifida; and
            (5) commends the work of national organizations that 
        educate, support, and provide hope for individuals who are 
        affected by spina bifida and their families.
                                 <all>
```