IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1664 

Supporting the goals and ideals of Spina Bifida Awareness Month, recognizing 

the importance of increasing access to health care for individuals with 

disabilities, including those with Spina Bifida, and raising awareness 

of the need for health care facilities and examination rooms to be accessible for individuals with disabilities. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2010 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, 

and Mr. GRIJALVA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of Spina Bifida Awareness 

Month, recognizing the importance of increasing access 

to health care for individuals with disabilities, including 

those with Spina Bifida, and raising awareness of the 

need for health care facilities and examination rooms 

to be accessible for individuals with disabilities. 

Whereas October is Spina Bifida Awareness Month; 

Whereas the number of individuals living with all forms of 

Spina Bifida, the Nation’s most common permanently 

disabling birth defect is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be as many as 

166,000; 


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•HRES 1664 IH 

Whereas the risk of Spina Bifida can be reduced by up to 

70 percent if women of childbearing age consume 400 

mcg of folic acid every day, prior to becoming pregnant; 

Whereas there are 65,000,000 women of childbearing age in 

the United States, all of whom are potentially at risk of 

having a pregnancy affected by Spina Bifida; 

Whereas an additional 1,500 babies are born each year with 

Spina Bifida; 

Whereas Spina Bifida is a complicated condition, adversely 

impacting virtually every organ system and requiring 

multiple clinical specialists to provide life-long quality 

medical and psychosocial care; 

Whereas the Spina Bifida Association recently announced 

that one of its volunteers, Debbie Blanchard, a woman 

who lived with Spina Bifida for 55 years, died from a late 

stage diagnosis of cervical cancer stemming from her inability to find a health care provider in her community 

who had an examination table that would lower to the 

level necessary for her to comfortably and safely transfer 

from her wheelchair to the examination table so she could 

be screened for cervical cancer; 

Whereas according to the Census, approximately 1 in 5 

United States residents live with some sort of physical 

disability; 

Whereas more than 54,000,000 people in the United States 

report some level of disability and approximately 

35,000,000 of those are classified as having a severe disability; 

Whereas an estimated 11,000,000 individuals age 6 and older 

need personal assistance with every day activities, includVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:34 Sep 29, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1664.IH HR1664

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•HRES 1664 IH 

ing taking a bath or shower, preparing meals, and getting around the home; 

Whereas 5 percent of the United States population over age 

15 uses a wheelchair or similar device, cane, crutches, or 

walker; 

Whereas studies have found that individuals with disabilities 

have significant difficulty in accessing routine and specialized health care and that numerous barriers exist for 

such patients; 

Whereas approximately 1 in 3 women with disabilities report 

being denied services at a physician’s office solely because 

of their disability; 

Whereas research shows that women with disabilities are less 

likely to have Pap smears and mammograms, are more 

likely to be diagnosed at a later stage of breast cancer, 

and are less likely to receive standard treatments and 

have worse outcomes; 

Whereas individuals with disabilities report that one of the 

leading barriers to accessing necessary health care is the 

inability to find an accessible health care provider and 

identify providers who understand how to treat individuals with disabilities and are willing to have them as patients; and 

Whereas organizations representing individuals with disabilities report that their constituents need more and better 

information regarding accessible health care providers in 

their communities and additional support and resources 

to help ensure they receive the care they need and deserve: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That Congress— 


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•HRES 1664 IH 

1 (1) supports the goals and ideals of Spina 

2 Bifida Awareness Month to provide a special oppor3 tunity to raise awareness of the ongoing, life-long 

4 medical and psychosocial needs of individuals with 

5 Spina Bifida and highlighting efforts to prevent 

6 Spina Bifida through daily folic acid intake by 

7 women of childbearing age, prior to becoming preg8 nant; 

9 (2) urges Federal efforts to improve health pro10 vider awareness of the need for accessible health 

11 care facilities for individuals with disabilities, includ12 ing such activities as developing and disseminating 

13 informational tools to raise provider awareness of 

14 the physical challenges experienced by patients with 

15 disabilities; and 

16 (3) urges the Secretary of Health and Human 

17 Services to establish a National Advisory Committee 

18 on Access to Health Care for Individuals with Dis19 abilities to ensure interagency coordination of efforts 

20 to improve access to care for individuals with Spina 

21 Bifida and other disabilities. 

Æ 


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