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 acces-
sible 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 re-
ferred 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 Dis-
ease 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 in-
ability 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 dis-
ability; 
Whereas an estimated 11,000,000 individuals age 6 and older 
need personal assistance with every day activities, includ-
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•HRES 1664 IH 
ing taking a bath or shower, preparing meals, and get-
ting 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 spe-
cialized 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 individ-
uals with disabilities and are willing to have them as pa-
tients; and 
Whereas organizations representing individuals with disabil-
ities 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 de-
serve: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That Congress— 
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•HRES 1664 IH 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of Spina 
Bifida Awareness Month to provide a special oppor-
tunity to raise awareness of the ongoing, life-long 
medical and psychosocial needs of individuals with 
Spina Bifida and highlighting efforts to prevent 
Spina Bifida through daily folic acid intake by 
women of childbearing age, prior to becoming preg-
nant; 
(2) urges Federal efforts to improve health pro-
vider awareness of the need for accessible health 
care facilities for individuals with disabilities, includ-
ing such activities as developing and disseminating 
informational tools to raise provider awareness of 
the physical challenges experienced by patients with 
disabilities; and 
(3) urges the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services to establish a National Advisory Committee 
on Access to Health Care for Individuals with Dis-
abilities to ensure interagency coordination of efforts 
to improve access to care for individuals with Spina 
Bifida and other disabilities. 
Æ 
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