IV
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 429
Expressing the sense of the Congress that there should be established a
National Sarcoidosis Awareness Day, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 26, 2002
Ms. KILPATRICK (for herself, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. BONIOR, Mr. MCNULTY,
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. MCCARTHY of Missouri, Ms. MCKIN-
NEY, Mr. WAXMAN, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr.
OWENS, Ms. KAPTUR, and Mr. BISHOP) submitted the following concur-
rent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that there should be
established a National Sarcoidosis Awareness Day, and
for other purposes.
Whereas sarcoidosis is an autoimmune systemic disease with
no known cause or cure that can affect any part of the
body;
Whereas sarcoidosis affects between 20 and 50 of every
100,000 individuals in the United States;
Whereas most victims of sarcoidosis range in age between 20
and 40 years, with African Americans affected at least
10 times more often than other ethnic groups in the
United States;
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Whereas between 10 to 20 percent of individuals stricken
with sarcoidosis eventually develop serious disabling con-
ditions caused by damage to vital organs, such as the
lungs, heart, and central nervous system;
Whereas sarcoidosis is an enigma in the realm of medicine
requiring extensive and ongoing study and research to de-
velop an effective treatment and eventually a cure;
Whereas in the United States, individuals with sarcoidosis
and their family members are seeking treatment and sup-
port services to assist in controlling the effects of sarcoid-
osis;
Whereas grassroots support groups and nonprofit organiza-
tions are forming across the United States to encourage
public awareness of sarcoidosis;
Whereas the establishment of a National Sarcoidosis Aware-
ness Day on September 24, 2002, would encourage public
education on sarcoidosis and support research for better
treatment options and a cure;
Whereas the Federal Government has a responsibility to lead
a nationwide effort to find a cure for sarcoidosis; and
Whereas the Federal Government should make research into
the causes of sarcoidosis a greater priority and provide
the public with more information about potential treat-
ments for individuals with this life-threatening ailment:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that—
(1) a National Sarcoidosis Awareness Day
should be established to encourage public education
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on sarcoidosis and support research for better treat-
ment options and a cure;
(2) the President should issue a proclamation
calling upon the people of the United States to ob-
serve such a day with appropriate ceremonies and
activities;
(3) all people in the United States should take
an active role in combatting sarcoidosis by under-
going regular, routine chest x-rays;
(4) national and community organizations
should be recognized and applauded for their work
in promoting awareness about sarcoidosis and for
providing information and support to its sufferers;
(5) health care providers should continue to in-
crease their efforts to diagnose the disease in its ear-
liest possible stages; and
(6) the Federal Government has a responsibility
to—
(A) endeavor to raise awareness about the
importance of the early detection and proper
treatment of sarcoidosis;
(B) work to increase research funding so
that the causes of, and improved treatment and
a cure for, sarcoidosis may be discovered; and
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(C) continue to consider ways to improve
access to, and the quality of, health care serv-
ices for detecting and treating sarcoidosis.
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