III 

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 


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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 measVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:32 Sep 16, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR661.IS SR661

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ures 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 evidencebased research and enhancing the quality of life of those 

living with spina bifida: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of National 

3 Spina Bifida Awareness Month and of national orga4 nizations working for people with spina bifida; 

5 (2) recognizes the importance of— 

6 (A) highlighting the occurrence of spina 

7 bifida; 

8 (B) recognizing the struggles and successes 

9 of people who live with spina bifida; and 

10 (C) advancing efforts to decrease the inci11 dence of spina bifida; 

12 (3) supports the ongoing development of the 

13 National Spina Bifida Patient Registry to improve 

14 lives through research and to improve the treatment 

15 of spina bifida in both children and adults; 


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1 (4) recognizes that there is a continued need for 

2 a commitment of resources for efforts to reduce and 

3 prevent disabling birth defects like spina bifida; and 

4 (5) commends the work of national organiza5 tions that educate, support, and provide hope for in6 dividuals who are affected by spina bifida and their 

7 families. 

Æ 


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